ko,  <c  ^ 7 

University  o!  the  State  ol  Hew  York  Bulletin 

Entered  as  second-class  matter  August  2, 1913*  at  the  Post  Office  at  Albany,  N.  Y., 
under  the  act  of  August  24, 19x2 

Published  fortnightly 

No.  687  ALBANY,  N.  Y. June  i,  1919 


ELEMENTARY  SYLLABUS  IN  ENGLISH 
LANGUAGE  AND  LITERATURE 


BAGS 


Introduction 4 

Composition  course  by  grades 20 

First  year 20 

Second  year 24 

Third  year 3° 

Fourth  year 37 

Fifth  year 44 

Sixth  year 5 2 

Literature,  grades  I to  6 63 

First  grade.. 67 

Second  grade 7° 

Third  grade 74 

Fourth  grade 7 ® 

Fifth  grade 81 

Sixth  grade 8 5 

Character  of  English  instruction  in  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades 90 

Oral  and  written  composition,  grades  7 and  8 93 

Literature,  grades  7 and  8 11 A 


ALBANY 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 

1919 


G75r-Api9-i5,ooo  (7-4123) 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 


Regents  of  the  University 
With  years  when  terms  expire 

(Revised  to  September  x,  1919) 

1926  Pliny  T.  Sexton  LL.B.  LL.D.  Chancellor  - - Palmyra 

1927  Albert  Vander  Veer  M.D.  M.A.  Ph.D.  LL.D. 

Vice  Chancellor  Albany 

1922  Chester  S.  Lord  M.A.  LL.D.  -----  Brooklyn 

1930  William  Nottingham  M.A.  Ph.D.  LL.D.  - - Syracuse 

1923  Abram  I.  Elkus  LL.B.  LL.D.  D.C.L.  - - - New  York 

1924  Adelbert  Moot  LL.D.  Buffalo 

1925  Charles  B.  Alexander  MA.  LL.B.  LL.D. 

Litt.D.  - --  --  --  --  --  - -Tuxedo 

1928  Walter  Guest  Kellogg  B.A.  LL.D.  - - -Ogdensburg 
1920  James  Byrne  BA.  LL.B.  -----  - New  York 

1929  Herbert  L.  Bridgman  M.A.  - - - - - - Brooklyn 

1931  Thomas  J.  Mangan  M.A.  -----  -Binghamton 


President  of  the  University  and  Commissioner  of  Education 

John  H.  Finley  M.A.  LL.D.  L.H.D. 

Deputy  Commissioner  and  Counsel 

Frank  B.  Gilbert  B.A. 

Assistant  Commissioner  and  Director  of  Professional  Education 

Augustus  S.  Downing  M.A.  L.H.D.  LL.D. 

Assistant  Commissioner  for  Secondary  Education 

Charles  F.  Wheelock  B.S.  LL.D. 

Acting  Assistant  Commissioner  for  Elementary  Education 

George  M.  Wiley  M.A. 

Director  of  State  Library 

James  I.  Wyer,  Jr,  M.L.S.  Pd.D. 

Director  of  Science  and  State  Museum 

John  M.  Clarke  D.Sc.  LL.D. 

Chiefs  and  Directors  of  Divisions 

Administration,  Hiram  C.  Case 

Agricultural  and  Industrial  Education,  Lewis  A.  Wilson 
Archives  and  History,  James  Sullivan  M.A.  Ph.D. 
Attendance,  James  D.  Sullivan 
Educational  Extension,  William  R.  Watson  B.S. 
Examinations  and  Inspections,  George  M.  Wiley  M.A. 
Law,  Frank  B.  Gilbert  B.A.,  Counsel 
Library  School,  Frank  K.  Walter  M.A.  M.L.S. 

School  Buildings  and  Grounds,  Frank  H.  Wood  M.A. 
School  Libraries,  Sherman  Williams  Pd.D. 

Visual  Instruction,  Alfred  W.  Abrams  Ph.B. 


1 ? ucY 


University  oi  the  State  oi  New  York  Bulletin 

Entered  as  second-class  matter  August  2,  1913,  at  the  Post  Office  at  Albany,  N.  Y., 
under  the  act  of  August  24,  1912 

Published  fortnightly 

No.  687  ALBANY,  N.  Y.  June  1,  1919 


ELEMENTARY  SYLLABUS  IN  ENGLISH  LANGUAGE 
AND  LITERATURE 

This  syllabus  is  divided  as  follows : 

Language  and  literature,  grades  i to  6 inclusive 

Oral  and  written  composition  and  corrective  English. 

Introductory  statement  of  purposes  and  methods. 

Outline  of  oral  and  written  composition  and  corrective 
English  by  grades,  including  a statement  of  aims  and 
minimum  essentials  for  each  grade  and  of  the  grammar 
assigned  for  the  sixth  grade. 

Book  list  for  teacher  of  elementary  composition. 

Literature. 

Introductory  statement  of  purposes  and  methods. 

Lists  of  books  for  class  reading,  memorizing,  supplementary 
reading  and  for  the  use  of  teachers. 

Statement  of  relation  between  English  instruction  in  grades  I 
to  6 and  7 to  9. 

Language  and  literature,  grades  7 and  8 
Oral  and  written  composition  and  grammar. 

Outline  of  oral  and  written  composition  by  grades,  including 
a statement  of  aims  and  minimum  requirements  for  each 
grade. 

Outline  of  grammar  by  grades 
Literature. 

Introductory  statement  of  purposes  and  methods. 

Lists  of  books  for  class  reading,  memorizing,  supplementary 
reading  and  for  the  use  of  teachers. 

[3J 


4 


LANGUAGE  AND  LITERATURE,  GRADES  i to  6 

INTRODUCTION 

i Oral  Composition 

The  tendency  in  education  has  been  to  lay  more  stress  upon 
written  than  upon  spoken  English.  Since  people  talk  more  than 
they  write,  such  a division  of  the  subject  is  not  consistent  with  the 
demands  of  society.  A person  who  talks  well  can  express  himself 
well  on  paper,  provided  he  knows  the  ordinary  mechanics  of 
writing.  The  reverse  is  not  always  true.  Teachers  should  strive 
to  develop  in  their  pupils  the  desire  to  talk  well  and  the  ability  to 
do  so.  This  can  not  be  accomplished  without  constant  attention  to 
the  subject  in  every  class.  In  addition  to  the  opportunities  for  oral 
expression  provided  by  other  subjects,  time  for  what  may  be  called 
oral  composition  should  regularly  be  taken  from  the  periods 
assigned  to  English.  The  term  “ oral  composition  ” as  here  used 
does  not  refer  to  sentences  thoughtlessly  thrown  together  in  con- 
versation. It  refers  rather  to  longer  and  more  connected  dis- 
course, that  is  narratives,  reproductions  of  stories,  descriptions, 
explanations,  arguments.  Of  the  time  assigned  to  composition  in  the 
various  grades,  the  part  devoted  to  oral  composition  should  be 
approximately  as  follows : 

First  grade  — seven-eighths  or  more 
Second  grade  — four-fifths 
Third  grade  — three-fourths 
Fourth  grade  — three-fourths 
Fifth  grade  — two-thirds 
Sixth  grade  — two-thirds 
Seventh  grade  — one-half 
Eighth  grade  — one-half 

A close  relationship  between  oral  and  written  composition  should 
be  maintained.  Written  composition  should  almost  invariably  be 
preceded  by  oral  composition. 

In  conducting  the  work  in  oral  composition,  the  teacher  should 
have  certain  definite  aims  constantly  in  mind.  These  may  be  stated 
briefly  as  follows: 

1 To  give  the  child  training  and  practice  in  connected  speech. 

2 To  eliminate  speech  defects  and  to  develop  and  improve  articu- 

lation, enunciation  and  inflection 


5 


3 To  eliminate  common  speech  errors 

4 To  build  up  a vocabulary 

5 To  develop  a respect  for  the  mother  tongue  and  a desire  to  use 

it  well 

6 To  give  greater  opportunity  for  self-expression. 

A child  talks  with  most  zest  when  discussing  some  subject  of 
immediate  personal  interest.  Hence  it  is  desirable  that  subjects 
selected  as  topics  for  oral  composition  should  be  chosen  from  the 
child’s  experience.  Among  such  topics  are  his  surroundings,  home, 
family,  friends,  games  and  toys.  The  industrial  life  with  which  he 
comes  in  contact,  the  milkman,  postman,  R.  F.  D.  mail  carrier, 
policeman,  fireman,  motorman,  will  supply  excellent  material  for 
language  work.  The  elementary  problems  in  ethics,  hygiene  and 
good  manners  which  he  should  consider,  can  and  should  be  dis- 
cussed in  conversation  lessons  with  his  teacher.  The  experiences 
of  the  child  should  be  supplemented  by  the  experiences  of  others, 
gained  from  literature.  The  stories  he  hears  or  reads  quicken  his 
imagination,  broaden  his  knowledge  and  supply  him  with  literary 
models.  In  all  this  oral  work,  the  teacher’s  aim  should  be  to  secure 
a genuine  interest  in  the  subject  under  discussion  and  to  secure  the 
voluntary  participation  of  every  pupil.  The  overtalkative  child 
must  be  checked  and  directed,  the  timid  encouraged,  the  indolent 
stimulated. 

The  pupil  should  be  able  to  see  a reason  for  his  work  in  oral 
expression.  The  simplest  means  of  accomplishing  this  is  to  pro- 
vide him  with  an  audience  of  his  fellows  whom  he  may  entertain  or 
inform,  with  whom  he  may  share  something  that  has  interested 
him,  or  to  whom  he  may  offer  his  part  of  an  argument  upon  some 
topic  that  is  under  discussion.  His  growing  ability  in  oral  expres- 
sion should  be  utilized  whenever  possible  in  school  exercises  on 
special  days  and  occasions,  in  club  meetings,  in  making  announce- 
ments in  morning  assembly,  in  assisting  his  teacher  in  the  classroom 
by  conducting  some  part  of  the  lesson  that  is  within  his  power  and 
in  other  ways  that  will  suggest  themselves. 

The  sources  of  material  for  oral  work  are  numerous.  The  fol- 
lowing list  is  an  addition  to  suggestions  already  made : 

Personal  experiences 

Stories  retold. 

Dramatization 

Language  games 

Picture  studies 


6 


Records  of  journeys 

Legends  and  neighborhood  traditions 

Anecdotes,  jokes,  riddles 

Original  stories  and  poems 

Topical  recitations  based  upon  geography,  history,  nature  study 
Current  events 

Reports  of  lectures,  concerts,  good  moving  pictures,  school 
exhibits,  holiday  trips,  the  county  fair 
Socialized  recitations. 

Explanations  of  processes  in  manual  training,  domestic  science, 
gardening  or  shop  work 
Descriptions 
Arguments 

Biographies  (“  My  Favorite  Hero  ”) 

Book  reviews,  given  very  simply  to  arouse  in  the  audience  an 
interest  in  the  book  discussed 

The  main  difficulties  to  be  met  in  teaching  composition,  oral  or 
written,  are  the  child’s  lack  of  something  to  say,  his  tendency  to 
become  confused  and  wordy  and  to  ramble  away  from  his  subject, 
and  his  awkward  and  ungrammatical  way  of  expressing  himself. 
There  should  be  careful  preparation  for  a lesson  in  oral  composition 
so  that  the  pupil  will  be  well  supplied  with  ideas  to  express.  The 
topics  should  be  sufficiently  limited  so  that  the  tendency  to  ramble 
away  from  the  main  thought  will  be  avoided.  The  ungrammatical 
expressions  will  grow  less  only  as  a result  of  constant  drill  in  the 
use  of  the  correct  form  of  any  expression  misused. 

The  correction  of  speech  errors  is  a subject  deserving  serious 
consideration.  Each  teacher  should  make  a collection  of  the  errors 
in  English  made  by  her  pupils  and  drill  intensively  against  the  most 
common  of  these,  while  correcting  less  frequent  errors  as  they 
occur  in  individual  cases.  Since  it  is  impossible  for  any  one  grade 
to  do  effective  work  in  overcoming  all  types  of  errors,  selection 
has  been  made  for  each  grade.  This  list  should  be  amended  to  suit 
the  needs  of  the  class  and  locality  in  which  it  is  to  be  used.  Mispro- 
nunciations should  be  corrected  in  the  lesson  period  in  which  they 
occur  but  class  instruction  and  drill  should  be  given  when  an  error 
is  so  common  as  to  warrant  this.  The  English  club,  spoken  of  later 
for  upper  grades,  may  be  very  helpful  in  the  lower  grades,  also. 
The  children  should  list  the  errors  heard  and  the  teacher  work  out 
the  corrections. 


7 


Language  games  involving  a frequent  repetition  of  the  expres- 
sion misused  are  an  effective  means  of  correcting  errors  in  grammar 
or  pronunciation.  For  example,  to  teach  the  use  of  “ I did  ” instead 
of  “ I done/’  one  child  is  blindfolded  or  stands  with  his  back  to  the 
rest  of  the  room.  Another  child,  signalled  by  the  teacher,  raps  on 
desk.  The  blindfolded  child  says  “Alice  did  that.”  The  second 
child  answers,  “ No,  someone  else  did  it  ” or  “ Yes,  I did  it,”  as 
the  case  may  be.  When  a child  is  “ caught,”  he  takes  the  place  of 
the  one  blindfolded.  Several  games  may  be  devised  for  the  eradica- 
tion of  one  deeply  rooted  error.  One  game  should  not  be  played 
so  constantly  that  interest  in  it  is  exhausted.  Such  games  may  be 
used  in  any  grade  where  they  are  found  effective  but  are  best 
suited  to  grades  below  the  fifth.  (See  Language  Games  by  Myra 
King,  and  Language  Games  for  All  Grades  by  A.  G.  Deming.) 

A correct  form  that  needs  repetition  may  be  stressed  in  a story 
that  is  to  be  reproduced  or  in  a dramatization.  For  example,  in 
“ The  Three  Billy  Goats  Gruff,”  the  repetition,  “ Who  is  trip- 
trapping across  my  bridge?”  “It  is  I,  little  Billy  Goat  Gruff,” 
may  be  utilized  to  emphasize  a form  often  misused.  Literature 
may  be  called  in  to  help.  Pupils  may  be  asked  to  recall  that  Steven- 
son says  “ When  I was  sick  and  lay  in  bed,”  not  “ laid,”  and  that 
he  says  “ I saw  the  next  door  garden  lie  adorned  with  flowers  before 
my  eye,”  not  “ I seen.” 

In  oral  expression,  as  in  other  work,  the  pupil  should  be  held 
responsible  for  what  he  has  been  taught  in  preceding  grades.  When, 
knowing  the  correct  use,  he  makes  an  error  in  English,  he  should 
be  held  responsible  just  as  strictly  as  he  would  be  if  he  had  made  an 
error  in  multiplication  or  division.  Children  should  be  taught  to 
admire  fluent,  graceful  speech  and  to  regard  their  individual  errors 
in  English  as  enemies  to  be  destroyed.  It  is  a good  plan  for  a pupil 
in  the  grammar  grades  to  keep  a small  notebook  in  which  he  records 
from  time  to  time  the  correction  of  his  personal  errors  in  speech, 
as  “ I must  say  ‘ He  doesn’t  ’,”  “ I must  say  ‘ ath-let-ics  ’ ; there  is 
no  ‘ a * after  ‘ ath  \”  The  creating  of  a critical  attitude  in  the  pupils 
will  save  the  teacher  many  hours  of  labor. 

Three  points  should  be  borne  constantly  in  mind  by  the  teacher 
of  composition,  oral  and  written : the  necessity  of  eliminating 
unnecessary  material,  of  including  in  the  composition  everything 
that  is  necessary,  and  of  arranging  material  in  proper  order.  Even 
in  the  second  and  third  grades,  the  teacher,  having  assigned  a 
sufficiently  limited  topic,  must  work  for  the  strong  opening  and 


8 


closing  sentences  which  will  give  balance  to  the  recitation.  The  child 
should  learn  that  what  he  has  to  say,  and  may  later  write,  must  have 
a well-defined  beginning,  middle  and  end;  and  in  his  striving  to 
attain  this  ideal  in  his  work  he  is  conquering  the  problems  of  unity, 
coherence  and  emphasis  before  he  has  ever  heard  those  terms 
applied  to  composition. 

Dramatization  is  an  activity  which  should  be  used  constantly  for 
developing  ability  in  oral  expression.  The  dramatic  exercise  as 
given  in  the  classroom  is  not  an  end  in  itself.  In  stimulating  origi- 
nality and  spontaneity  of  expression,  in  developing  in  the  child  the 
power  to  choose  the  words  that  will  best  fit  a given  situation,  no 
exercise  is  better  than  the  acting  out  of  stories  with  which  he  is 
familiar.  The  teacher  may  tell  or  read  the  story.  (It  is  better  to 
tell  it  in  the  first  and  second  grades.)  The  children  should  discuss 
the  story  and  reproduce  it.  This  may  be  done  in  more  than  one 
way.  The  story  may  be  told  in  the  form  of  the  original  as  a 
personal  experience  of  one  of  the  characters,  and  so  on.  One  child 
should  not  tell  the  whole  story.  When  the  pupils  have  the  story  well 
in  mind,  they  may  present  the  little  play.  They  should  arrange  the 
stage  themselves  and  should  not  be  told  what  to  say.  The  exercise 
should  not  be  permitted  to  lose  its  spontaneity  by  too  frequent  repeti- 
tion of  the  same  material.  Dramatization  in  varied  form  should  be 
continued  through  all  the  grades.  As  the  literature  studied  increases 
in  length  and  complexity,  parts  rather  than  the  whole  story  may 
be  produced  and  an  original  or  class  composition  play  may  also 
be  used. 

In  class  exercises  in  oral  composition,  pupils  should  criticize  one 
another’s  work.  Strong  as  well  as  weak  points  should  be  men- 
tioned, the  strong  points  being  preferably  given  first.  The  pupil 
reciting  may  first  of  all  be  given  opportunity  to  criticize  his  own 
attempt  or  he  may  be  permitted  to  call  upon  the  class  for  criticism 
and  may  justify  himself  against  adverse  criticism,  provided  he 
can  give  reasons  for  his  opinion.  Extreme  courtesy  should  invari- 
ably be  required.  Pupils  should  understand  that  criticism  of  one 
another’s  work  should  be  given  to  help  and  not  to  embarrass.  The 
pupils  in  criticizing  should  follow  a definite  plan  provided  or 
developed  by  the  teacher,  who  will  at  all  times  be  the  director  and 
censor  of  the  work.  The  following  outline  is  suggestive: 

Did  the  speaker  stand  well? 

Did  he  speak  clearly  and  not  too  fast? 

Was  his  first  sentence  interesting?  What  made  it  so? 


9 


Did  he  end  his  talk  definitely?  If  not,  how  could  he  have 
improved  it? 

Did  he  stick  to  his  subject?  If  not,  what  was  unnecessary? 

What  words  or  expressions  did  he  use  that  were  new  or  unusual  ? 

Were  these  new  or  unusual  expressions  better  than  the  com- 
moner forms  would  have  been? 

What  speech  errors  do  you  wish  to  correct? 

Such  an  outline  as  the  preceding  may  be  used  in  the  sixth,  seventh 
and  eighth  grades  and  in  a modified  form  in  the  fourth  and  fifth 
grades.  If  there  is  a blackboard  in  the  front  of  the  room,  it  is  a 
good  plan  to  place  on  it  the  outline  to  be  followed  by  the  class 
critics,  while  on  a blackboard  at  the  rear  of  the  room  or  on  posters 
faced  by  the  speaker  may  well  appear  some  suggestions  for  his 
benefit,  such  as  the  following : 

Stand  erect. 

Speak  distinctly. 

Do  not  hurry. 

Do  not  use  too  many  ands. 

Do  not  say  “ He  says  ” for  “ He  said.” 

The  teacher  should  encourage  constructive  criticism.  It  is  better 
to  say  “ Tom  should  have  said  ‘ He  doesn’t  ’,”  than  “ Tom  said  ‘ He 
don’t.’  ” She  should  commend  generously  whenever  commendation 
is  possible.  If  the  recitation  as  a whole  can  not  be  commended,  and 
the  child  has  done  his  best,  some  detail  will  perhaps  merit  approval. 
As  a rule,  a recitation  should  not  be  interrupted  except  to  correct 
a flagrant  error,  as  continual  interruption  is  exhausting  and  dis- 
couraging. Such  an  interruption  should,  of  course,  be  made  only 
by  the  teacher.  Notes  should  be  made  of  errors  and  these  corrected 
after  the  recitation  is  completed. 

Recitations  of  any  length  made  to  the  class  should  be  made 
from  the  front  of  the  room  and,  since  every  recitation  is  an  exercise 
in  English,  this  rule  should  apply  in  other  subjects  as  well  as  in 
English.  The  child’s  manner  in  taking  his  place  and  his  standing 
position  should  be  carefully  observed.  He  should  not  be  permitted 
to  begin  talking  until  he  has  reached  the  front  of  the  room  and 
has  looked  at  his  audience.  He  should  pause  definitely  after  finish- 
ing before  taking  his  seat.  If  he  is  to  remain  before  the  class  to  ask 
for  criticisms,  he  should  pause  definitely  before  asking  for  criti- 
cisms. During  the  oral  exercise  the  teacher  should  sit  or  stand 
at  the  back  of  the  room. 


10 


When  the  oral  exercise  is  one  of  reproduction,  different  children 
should  be  called  upon  to  tell  parts  of  the  story,  if  it  is  one  of  any 
length.  One  child  should  not  be  permitted  to  ramble  on  indefinitely 
while  the  others  become  bored  and  disorderly.  Long  stories  should 
be  avoided,  especially  with  younger  children.  It  is  sometimes  pos- 
sible to  adapt  a long  story  to  the  needs  of  a class  by  leaving  out  parts 
and  making  slight  changes.  In  cutting,  the  teacher  must  remember 
the  prime  importance  of  retaining  unity  and  coherence. 

The  tendency  of  pupils  to  speak  unintelligibly  is  usually  due  to 
self-consciousness.  This  condition  will  improve  as  oral  expression 
becomes  a matter  of  course  and  when  the  children  find  that  they  are 
actually  talking  to  one  another.  Lack  of  clearness  in  speech  is 
sometimes  caused  by  a lack  of  knowledge  of  the  subject  under 
discussion,  but  this  should  not  be  the  case  in  a class  in  oral  com- 
position since  no  child  should  be  asked  to  talk  on  a subject  with 
which  he  is  not  familiar.  When  pupils  are  asked  to  prepare  out- 
side of  class  for  an  oral  exercise,  as  when  each  child  tells  a different 
story  or  reviews  a different  book,  the  teacher  should  require  each 
pupil  to  submit  in  advance  the  name  of  his  topic  and  a statement 
or  outline  of  his  intended  discussion.  This  plan  should  be  followed 
in  all  grades  where  any  outside  preparation  for  oral  composition  is 
made.  Impromptu  oral  composition  may  sometimes  be  called  for 
when  some  event  of  general  interest  has  occurred  and  the  children 
are  “ full  of  it,”  or  when  certain  children  in  the  class  have  had 
experiences  which  if  related  will  be  of  value  and  interest  to  the 
others.  However,  the  child  who  is  to  speak  should  always  make  a 
brief  mental  plan  before  he  begins  talking.  Pupils  should  be  warned 
against  memorizing  in  preparation  for  an  exercise  in  oral  com- 
position and  should  be  advised  to  give  the  oral  exercise  several 
times  to  a listener,  trying  to  give  it  a little  differently  each  time. 

Every  effort  should  be  made  by  means  of  proper  breathing, 
vocal  and  other  physical  exercises,  to  improve  and  strengthen  the 
organs  of  speech  so  that  distinct  enunciation  and  a pleasing  quality 
of  tone  will  result.  This  work  should  be  done  regularly  with  some 
well-defined  plan.  Speech  defects  should  be  corrected  whenever  it 
is  possible.  When  a case  requires  more  scientific  care  than  a teacher 
can  give,  parents  should  be  urged  to  seek  special  treatment. 
Defects  of  articulation  carried  into  the  fifth  year  of  life  are  likely 
to  crystallize  and  remain.  The  teacher  should  examine  a pupil 
when  he  enters  school,  should  make  a list  of  the  sounds  which  the 
child  can  not  articulate  properly  and  give  him  systematic  drill  in 


11 


the  correction  of  these  errors.  Much  of  this  correction  may  be 
accomplished  by  class  exercises.  In  a large  grade  there  will  not 
be  more  than  two  or  three  who  will  need  individual  attention. 

The  enlargement  of  vocabulary  is  best  accomplished  by  enriching 
the  experience,  interest  and  knowledge  of  the  pupils.  Terms  used 
in  connection  with  the  various  subjects  he  studies  will  be  used  by 
the  child  when  he  understands  and  can  pronounce  them.  When 
the  use  of  an  incorrect  or  unsatisfactory  word  occurs  in  a recitation, 
a better  one  should  be  substituted  by  the  teacher  or  classmates.  The 
use  of  a word  that  is  an  addition  to  the  class  vocabulary  should 
be  commented  upon  and  commended.  In  the  story  work,  the 
teacher  should  call  attention  to  valuable  words  and  expressions 
and  encourage  pupils  to  use  these  in  their  reproductions  and  drama- 
tizations. The  children  may  be  encouraged  to  keep  lists  of  unusual 
words  noticed  in  reading  or  in  story  telling.  Later  these  may  be 
used  in  their  own  work.  Thus  the  vocabulary  is  increased  in  a 
natural  way.  The  use  of  the  dictionary  should  begin  early  and 
should  be  encouraged.  Regular  exercises  in  its  use  should  be  given 
in  all  grades  above  the  fourth  but  children  should  be  taught  to  use 
it  as  early  as  they  are  able  to  do  so.  If  diacritical  marks  are  not 
taught  in  connection  with  reading,  they  should  be  presented  else- 
where early  in  the  course.  The  use  of  pronouncing  lists  in  readers, 
language  books,  geographies  etc.  should  be  begun  as  early  as  the 
fourth  or  even  the  third  grade.  It  will  be  found  worth  while  in  the 
grammar  grades  in  the  interest  of  a broader  vocabulary,  and  also 
in  the  interest  of  coherence,  to  give  the  pupils  practice  in  using  cer- 
tain convenient  phrases,  especially  of  a connective  nature.  The 
following  list  is  suggestive  merely : 


In  connection 
Therefore 
For  example 
In  general 
Moreover 
Nevertheless 
Above  all 
Accordingly 
As  a result 
On  the  contrary 


On  the  other  hand 

It  follows  that 

To  be  sure 

As  a matter  of  fact 

Meanwhile 

For  that  matter 

Consequently 

In  the  first  place 

Notwithstanding 


An  effort  to  -secure  equivalent  connective  phrases  may  be  made 
a valuable  exercise. 


The  memorizing  of  fine  selections  of  prose  and  poetry,  in  addi- 
tion to  its  value  in  other  directions,  teaches  new  words  and  supplies 
new  forms  of  expression.  Individual  rather  than  concert  recitation 
of  memorized  selections  should  be  required.  The  concert  recitation, 


12 


while  sometimes  desirable,  tends  to  develop  the  “ sing-song  ” habit 
in  the  pupils.  Many  selections  are  in  themselves  quite  unsuited  to 
concert  recitation.  In  connection  with  the  presentation  of  selections 
to  be  read  for  appreciation  or  memorization,  the  teacher  will  do 
well  to  read  chapters  4 and  6 in  The  Teaching  of  English  by 
Chubb,  chapters  7 and  10  in  How  to  Study  by  McMurry,  and  pages 
92-95  in  The  Teaching  Process  by  Strayer. 

The  teacher  should  at  all  times  be  keenly  critical  of  her  own  use 
of  English,  remembering  that  a good  example  is  invaluable.  In 
requiring  any  type  of  oral  work,  she  should  be  able  to  illustrate, 
and  should  so  illustrate  in  advance,  the  type  of  expression  that  is 
required  of  her  pupils.  It  is  well  to  remember  also  that  the  less 
unnecessary  talking  the  teacher  does  in  all  classes,  the  greater  will 
be  the  opportunity  of  the  pupils  to  develop  their  ability  in  the  use  of 
oral  English. 

2 Written  Composition 

Written  language  as  studied  in  the  elementary  schools  includes 
training  and  practice  in  composition  writing  and  drill  in  the  tech- 
nicalities of  written  work.  Under  the  latter  head  penmanship  and 
spelling  may  be  included. 

Little  original  work  in  written  composition  should  be  attempted 
until  the  child  has  mastered  the  elementary  technicalities.  Until 
this  is  accomplished,  he  is  too  much  hampered  by  the  mechanical 
difficulties  he  must  face  to  express  himself  freely.  During  the  time 
when  he  is  mastering  the  mechanics  of  writing,  his  work  in  oral 
language,  while  achieving  its  own  immediate  end,  will  be  preparing 
him  for  his  work  in  written  composition.  The  child  who  is  learn- 
ing to  speak  in  sentences  may  be  easily  taught  later  to  capitalize 
the  beginnings  of  his  sentences  and  punctuate  the  ends. 

The  simple  technicalities  of  writing  should  be  taught  early  and 
thoroughly  so  that  the  child  may,  as  soon  as  possible,  turn  his  atten- 
tion from  the  mechanism  by  which  he  expresses  thought  to  the 
thought  itself.  Correct  technic  should  be  taught  with  the  first 
lessons  in  written  language  but  should  be  presented  in  small  amounts 
and  with  much  drill.  A little  well  learned  is  infinitely  more  valuable 
than  much  half  learned. 

Aside  from  the  difficulty  of  putting  on  paper  what  he  wishes  to 
say,  the  child  is  hampered  in  written  composition  exactly  as  he  is  in 
oral  composition  and  the  same  remedies  should  be  used.  (See 
introduction  to  Oral  Composition.)  Oral  preparation  will  provide 
the  child  with  something  to  say.  It  should  also  provide  him  with 


13 


the  desire  to  express  himself  in  writing,  while  the  use  of  good 
models  written  by  others  will  add  to  this  desire  besides  being  helpful 
in  other  ways.  A properly  limited  subject  will  prevent  his  topic 
from  running  away  with  him  and  constant  oral  drill  will  gradually 
eliminate  those  oral  errors,  notably  the  “ run-on  ” sentence,  which 
are  so  often  continued  in  written  composition. 

There  are  three  major  points  which  should  be  constantly  borne 
in  mind  by  the  teacher  of  composition : the  necessity  of  eliminating 
unnecessary  material,  the  importance  of  including  all  that  is  neces- 
sary, the  arrangement  of  material  in  logical  order.  Pupils  should 
be  taught  to  plan  their  compositions  carefully  before  writing  them. 
These  plans  may  frequently  take  the  form  of  simple  outlines,  at 
first  developed  from  the  class,  later  prepared  by  the  pupils,  but 
always  as  the  result  of  careful  oral  preparation.  The  use  of  the 
outline  will  help  the  child  to  locate  the  important  points,  to  discard 
the  unimportant  and  to  arrange  the  whole  logically. 

Efforts  should  be  made  to  develop  good  taste  in  the  selection  of 
topics  for  composition.  A child  should  learn  early  that  while  all 
his  experiences  are  interesting  to  him,  not  all  of  them  are  interest- 
ing to  other  people  and  that  as  he  speaks  and  writes  for  others  he 
must  select  material  for  composition  with  others  than  himself  in 
mind.  He  may  be  intensely  interested  in  the  fact  that  he  has  a loose 
tooth  but  the  class  will  not  be,  although  they  may  become  so  if  he 
will  give  a humorous  account  of  how  it  was  pulled  out. 

The  work  in  composition  should  have  some  immediate  value 
which  the  child  can  appreciate.  Compositions  may  be  read  to  the 
class  in  morning  exercises  or  on  special  occasions.  They  may,  when 
very  good,  be  published  in  the  school  paper  or  perhaps  in  a local 
newspaper.  They  may  be  made  into  books  to  be  used  as  Christmas 
or  birthday  gifts.  The  blackboard  newspaper  on  which  frequently 
appointed  reporters  record  interesting  items  of  school  news  pro- 
vides good  drill  in  writing  brief  statements  with  the  main  point 
emphasized.  When  the  composition  is  in  letter  form,  the  letter 
should  frequently  be  a real  one,  that  is,  one  to  be  sent.  The  class 
may  exchange  letters  with  children  in  other  schools  in  the  town  or 
in  another  town.  They  may  write  for  catalogs  which  are  needed 
by  some  department  in  the  school.  They  may  write  to  an  absent 
member  whose  convalescence  needs  enlivening.  Children  should  be 
trained  especially  in  the  various  kinds  of  letters  they  will  need  to 
write,  as  informal  letters  of  invitation  and  acceptance,  letters  of 
thanks  for  a gift  or  of  appreciation  after  a visit,  letters  of  excuse 


14 


after  absence  or  for  failure  to  prepare  a lesson  assignment,  letters 
ordering  articles  of  various  sorts,  of  subscription  for  periodicals,  of 
application  for  work. 

The  recognition  of  the  sentence  as  a unit  should  be  constantly 
emphasized.  Children  should  be  taught  to  regard  a failure  to  begin 
and  end  a sentence  properly  as  an  “ unpardonable  error.”  The 
primary  correction  of  this  fault  will  come  in  the  work  in  oral  com- 
position with  the  elimination  of  superfluous  connectives  and  the 
development  of  the  sentence  sense.  If  this  fault  is  found  in  written 
work,  it  indicates  that  the  teacher  has  not  given  proper  oral  drill 
and  possibly  that  she  is  not  setting  a good  oral  example. 

The  recognition  of  the  paragraph  unit  should  be  carefully  devel- 
oped. This  will  come  as  a result  of  various  oral  exercises.  Prob- 
ably the  most  effective  method  of  developing  the  paragraph  sense 
is  the  telling  of  brief  stories  in  which,  without  comment  as  to  para- 
graphing, one  child  is  permitted  to  tell  one  paragraph,  another  the 
next,  and  so  on.  Later  in  the  course  such  a simple  story  may  be 
outlined  after  being  told,  with  one  main  topic  for  each  paragraph, 
the  topics  being  developed  from  the  class.  The  story  may  be  told 
again,  following  the  outline.  This  may  be  done  in  any  grade  where 
the  children  are  able  to  read  the  written  outline.  In  the  fourth 
or  fifth  grade,  and  above,  the  class  may  write  the  reproduction  after 
giving  it  orally,  indicating  a new  paragraph  for  each  main  topic  in 
the  outline.  For  this  work,  an  effort  should  be  made  to  select  stories 
that  will  not  require  more  than  a short,  two  or  three  paragraph 
composition.  Fables,  historical  and  other  anecdotes  and  episodes 
from  longer  stories  may  be  used  for  such  written  reproduction 
exercises. 

Emphasize  early  and  often  in  oral  and  written  composition  the 
importance  of  strong  opening  and  closing  sentences.  Attention 
may  be  given  definitely  to  this  point  as  early  as  the  second  grade. 
Beginning  sentences  may  be  compared  as  to  interest.  The  class 
may  supply  sentences  for  a paragraph  to  be  written  on  the  black- 
board, the  best  sentences  being  selected  after  discussion.  Children 
will  quickly  see  that  a paragraph  beginning  “ Yesterday  I was  going 
to  school  and  I heard  somebody  crying  ” is  less  interesting  than 
“A  loud  scream  came  from  the  mill  pond,”  or  that  one  ending  “ My 
mother  did  not  like  it  because  my  new  suit  was  spoiled  ” does  not 
arouse  the  same  response  as  “ I will  leave  you  to  imagine  what  hap- 
pened when  I reached  home.”  Pupils  trained  to  discriminate  in 
these  points  will  not  write  letters  beginning  “As  I have  a little  time 


15 


I thought  I would  write  to  you  ” and  ending  “ This  is  all  I think  of 
now,  so  goodbye/’ 

As  to  correction  of  themes,  oral  preparation,  a limited  topic  and 
short  sentences  in  a short  composition  will  do  much  to  eliminate  the 
types  of  errors  commonly  found.  Children  should  be  taught  to  read 
their  compositions  through  several  times  before  handing  them  in, 
looking  first  for  one  type  of  error,  then  for  another.  They  should 
read  their  written  efforts  through  aloud  whenever  these  are  pre- 
pared out  of  class.  The  ear  trained  by  oral  drill  will  detect  errors 
that  otherwise  might  pass  unnoticed.  The  pupil  may  be  permitted 
to  make  a rough  draft  which  he  may  rewrite  and  correct  before 
handing  in  as  finished  product,  but  papers  should  not  ordinarily  be 
rewritten  for  the  teacher  except  as  a punishment  for  slovenly  work. 
While  examining  the  papers  the  teacher  should  make  note  of  the 
most  common  errors,  later  give  a lesson  or  lessons  upon  the  elimina- 
tion of  these  and  make  the  next  written  assignment  one  that  will 
give  the  pupil  practice  in  doing  correctly  what  he  has  previously 
done  incorrectly. 

In  indicating  mistakes  on  papers,  the  teacher  should  not  disfigure 
the  child’s  work  but  should  set  an  example  of  that  neatness  which' 
she  demands.  The  blackboard  may  be  used  advantageously  for  class 
work  in  correction. 

When  compositions  are  written  in  the  classroom,  the  teacher 
should  work  with  the  pupils,  since  the  best  time  to  help  the  child  is 
when  he  feels  the  need.  The  composition  period  is  not  a suitable 
time  for  the  teacher  to  attend  to  other  work.  She  should  pass 
quietly  from  pupil  to  pupil,  making  suggestions  and  answering 
necessary  questions.  If  a child  asks  for  the  spelling  of  a word,  in 
a grade  where  dictionaries  are  not  provided,  the  spelling  may  be 
written  on  the  board  to  help  the  questioner  and  anyone  else  who 
may  need  the  same  word.  All  composition  should  be  short.  Brevity 
makes  it  possible  for  the  teacher  to  give  frequent  assignments  and 
to  demand  perfect  work. 

When  compositions  are  read  to  the  class  by  the  writers,  the  other 
members  of  the  class  may  be  permitted  to  offer  criticisms  when  a 
reading  is  over.  The  method  of  conducting  such  an  exercise  should 
be  similar  to  that  suggested  in  connection  with  the  criticism  of  oral 
composition. 

Dictation  exercises  should  be  given  at  regular  intervals  to  test 
the  pupil’s  power  to  use  the  technicalities  that  he  has  been  taught 
and  as  a valuable  aid  in  fixing  those  technicalities.  Such  exercises 


16 


should  be  carefully  selected  and  prepared  so  as  to  give  pupils  exactly 
the  drill  they  need.  The  exercise  should  always  be  of  such  a nature 
that  the  average  child  who  has  worked  faithfully  may,  if  he  is  pains- 
taking, have  a perfect  paper,  but  it  should  be  sufficiently  hard  to 
require  thought  and  care.  The  element  of  amiable  competition 
which  enters  whenever  each  member  of  a group  is  trying  to  do  the 
same  thing  perfectly,  adds  zest  to  the  exercise  in  dictation.  While 
not  imperative,  it  is  usually  a good  plan  to  keep  the  dictation  exer- 
cises in  notebooks  so  that  progress  may  be  more  carefully  observed 
and  weak  points  checked  up.  Dictation  work  at  the  blackboard  is 
helpful  in  the  lower  grades.  The  use  of  the  blackboard  in  the 
lower  grades  for  the  childrens’  composition  work  should  be  en- 
couraged. Dictation  exercises  should  never  be  given  aimlessly,  as 
a means  of  filling  in  time.  They  should  be  corrected,  with  class 
discussion  of  reasons  for  correction.  Weak  points  should  be  col- 
lected and  their  correction  emphasized  in  class  drill. 

Copying  is  useful  as  an  exercise  in  accuarcy.  As  soon  as  possi- 
ble, children  should  learn  to  look  at  the  entire  sentence  and  copy 
first  one  phrase  or  related  group,  then  another.  Later  the  whole 
sentence,  unless  exceptionally  long,  should  be  reproduced  after  one 
reading. 

Good  penmanship  should  be  required  upon  all  papers.  Some 
uniform  method  of  penmanship  should  be  used  in  a school  system 
and  adhered  to  until  the  pupils  have  mastered  it.  There  is  no  legiti- 
mate excuse  except  physical  or  mental  defect  for  a child’s  writing 
illegibly.  Some  one  good  composition  and  letter  form  should  be 
adopted  and  used  uniformly  throughout  the  system  and  a uniform 
system  of  grading  papers  is  desirable.  Such  uniformity  saves  time 
for  the  teacher  and  avoids  misunderstanding  on  the  part  of  the 
pupil  in  cases  of  transfer  from  one  school  to  another. 

Errors  in  spelling  are  best  eliminated  by  teaching  the  child  the 
words  he  needs  to  know.  The  teacher  should  keep  a record  of  the 
words  that  pupils  miss  in  the  spelling  class  and  other  classes  and 
teach  those  words  until  the  whole  class  can  spell  them.  The  early 
use  of  some  of  the  excellent  word  lists  prepared  by  authorities  in 
this  subject,  notably  the  One  Hundred  Spelling  Demons  selected  by 
Dr  W.  F.  Jones  from  the  Ayres  List,  will  provide  the  pupil  in 
advance  with  a knowledge  of  many  of  the  words  he  is  most  likely 
to  misspell.  In  the  interests  of  a growing  vocabulary,  other  words 
than  those  suggested  above  should  be  taught  but  it  is  futile  to  spend 
time  on  words  the  pupil  is  not  likely  to  use.  It  should  be  borne  in 


17 


mind  that  the  vocabulary  of  an  average  eighth  grade  pupil  contains 
less  than  2500  words  and  that  it  is  on  those  words,  so  far  as  they  can 
be  selected,  that  intensive  work  in  spelling  should  be  done. 

The  books  given  in  the  following  list  will  be  helpful  to  the  teacher 
of  oral  and  written  expression : 

Axtell.  The  Teaching  of  Literature 
Bancroft.  The  Posture  of  School  Children 
Bolenius.  The  Teaching  of  Oral  English 
Bryant.  How  to  Tell  Stories  to  Children 
Cabot.  Ethics  for  Children 
Chubb.  The  Teaching  of  English 

Festivals  and  Plays 

Cooley.  Language  Teaching  in  All  Grades 
Deming.  Language  Games  for  All  Grades 
Dewey.  Talks  on  Manners 
Evarts.  The  Speaking  Voice 
Goldwasser.  Methods  in  English 

Hilliard,  McCormick  & Oglebay.  Amateur  and  Educational  Dramatics 

Hinsdale.  Teaching  the  Language  Arts 

Hosic.  The  Elementary  Course  in  English 

Hutchins.  The  Children’s  Code  of  Morals 

King.  Language  Games 

Klapper.  The  Teaching  of  English 

Leiper.  Language  Work  in  the  Elementary  School 

Leonard.  English  Composition  as  a Social  Problem 

Lewis.  American  Speech 

Lyman.  Story  Telling 

Mackay.  How  to  Produce  Children’s  Plays 

Mahoney.  Standards  in  English 

Maxwell,  Johnson  & Barnum.  Speaking  and  Writing 
McMurry.  How  to  Study 

Special  Method  in  Language 

Palmer  & Sammis.  Oral  English 

Phelps.  Debaters’  Manual 

Scripture.  Stuttering  and  Lisping 

Sheridan.  Speaking  and  Writing  English 

Strayer.  The  Teaching  Process 

White.  Character  Lessons  in  American  Biography 

Whitney.  The  Socialized  Recitation 

Woodberry.  Dramatization  in  the  Grammar  Grades 


Minimum  Requirement 

The  term  “ minimum  requirement  ” as  used  in  the  following  out- 
line should  not  be  misunderstood.  It  indicates  the  least  that  should 
be  accepted  as  satisfactory  at  the  end  of  the  specified  year.  The 
average  child  will  be  able  to  do  more  than  the  minimum  and  should 
be  required  to  do  so.  The  teacher  should  bear  in  mind,  how- 
ever, that  a little  well  done  is  better  than  much  done  in  slovenly 
fashion. 

In  connection  with  the  quantity  of  work  suggested  in  the  minimum 
requirements,  the  teacher  should  not  state  to  the  pupil  that  he  is  to 


18 


give  orally  or  in  writing  a specified  number  of  sentences  in  com- 
position, as  this  would  tend  to  hamper  him  unduly  and  to  destroy 
unity.  The  topic  assigned  should  be  such  that  the  child  in  order  to 
cover  it  suitably  must  give  at  least  the  number  of  sentences  sug- 
gested in  the  minimum  requirements.  An  exception  to  the  above 
statement  may  be  made  in  the  first  and  second  grades  where  the 
teacher,  to  encourage  the  slow  thinker  and  check  the  overtalkative, 
may  make  occasionally  some  such  request  as  the  following,  “ Tell 
me  three  things  about  your  garden.” 

The  requiring  of  complete  statements  is  valuable  in  developing 
the  sentence  sense  and  in  giving  children  of  foreign  extraction  exer- 
cise in  the  use  of  English.  An  exception  to  this  rule  may  be  made 
occasionally  in  the  interest  of  a quick  drill  exercise  but  such  excep- 
tions should  be  rare,  especially  in  the  primary  grades. 

The  statements  with  regard  to  the  elimination  of  speech  errors  do 
not  refer  exclusively  to  those  assigned  by  years  in  the  syllabus  but 
to  those  errors  in  each  grade  that,  after  a study  of  the  class  and  of 
the  syllabus,  seem  to  the  teacher  especially  to  need  correction. 

The  requirement  with  regard  to  the  elimination  of  superfluous 
connectives  does  not  mean  that  the  proper  use  of  connectives  is  to  be 
discouraged.  This  use  will  develop  gradually,  largely  through 
example. 

Corrective  English 

Errors  of  expression  in  pupils’  oral  work  should  not  be  permitted 
to  occur  without  correction.  Experience  has  shown  that  such  cor- 
rection should  be  both  incidental  and  systematic. 

Incidental  correction  should  be  constant  and  should  be  as  care- 
fully followed  up  in  any  other  class  as  in  the  English  class.  The 
teacher  should  remember  that  the  spoken  English  of  young  children 
comes  solely  as  the  result  of  imitation.  The  teacher  should  also 
keep  in  mind  that  every  exercise  requiring  spoken  language  should 
be  a lesson  in  English.  Judgment  must  be  exercised  by  the  teacher 
as  to  the  amount  of  correction  made  and  the  method  of  doing  it. 
The  teacher  must  always  be  on  guard  lest  the  method  of  correction 
destroy  the  pupil’s  freedom  of  expression  or  interfere  with  his 
freedom  of  thought.  If  the  correction  of  oral  English  is  not  wisely 
made,  a condition  of  self-consciousness  on  the  part  of  the  child  is 
likely  to  arise  which  will  defeat  utterly  the  aim  of  free  expression 
and  logical  thinking. 

No  general  method  of  incidental  correction  is  prescribed.  When 
the  error  is  made  the  teacher  may  give  the  correct  form,  the  pupil 


19 


repeating  it,  or  the  teacher  may  at  times  reserve  a special  part  of 
the  blackboard  on  which  to  place  corrected  expressions,  leaving  them 
for  a time  for  pupils  to  observe  and  think  about. 

Systematic  correction  involves  drill  to  eliminate  common  errors. 
By  such  drill  the  attention  of  the  pupils  is  fixed  on  correct  forms. 
One  of  the  purposes  of  drill  is  to  form  habit,  and  to  a great  extent 
correct  speech  is  a matter  of  habit. 

The  difficulty  of  prescribing  for  a large  number  of  schools  a fixed 
list  of  exercises  for  corrective  English  is  obvious.  The  character 
of  the  errors  differs  in  various  parts  of  the  State.  While  care  has 
been  taken  to  suggest  only  such  corrective  work  as  can  be  used 
most  generally,  teachers  should  see  to  it  that  no  time  is  wasted  on 
drill  where  it  is  not  needed,  and  at  the  same  time  they  should  feel 
free  to  take  up  any  other  suitable  corrective  work  that  may  be  more 
needed. 

Teachers  of  every  grade  are  urged  to  become  familiar  with  the 
corrective  work  outline  for  all  the  other  grades.  If  an  error  whose 
systematic  correction  has  been  assigned  to  a lower  grade  is  still 
prevalent  in  any  grade,  it  should  be  treated  in  this  grade  as  a part 
of  the  work  of  the  grade.  Some  errors  require  treatment  throughout 
the  entire  elementary  course.  Prevalent  errors  assigned  to  higher 
grades  for  systematic  correction  should  be  treated  incidentally 
whenever  they  occur. 


20 


COMPOSITION  COURSE  BY  GRADES 
First  Year 

The  introductory  sections  on  the  teaching  of  composition  and 
corrective  English  (pages  4-19)  in  so  far  as  they  relate  to  the 
work  of  this  grade,  are  to  be  considered  a part  of  the  course  of 
study  for  this  year. 

Aims 

Oral  Written 

1 To  encourage  pupils  to  talk 
freely  on  account  of  genuine  in- 
terest, but  always  with  a definite 
and  clearly  formed  plan  in  the 
mind  of  the  teacher  for  improv- 
ing their  use  of  language. 

2 To  develop  distinct  articu- 
lation, a pleasing  tone,  correct 
posture  and  freedom  from  self- 
consciousness. 

3 To  make  a beginning  in  se- 
curing the  sentence  sense;  that 
is,  to  make  the  child  feel  the 
termination  of  an  expressed 
thought. 

4 To  eliminate  the  speech 
errors  assigned  for  consideration 
in  this  year. 

5 To  require  complete  state- 
ments. 

Minimum  Requirements 

(The  term  “minimum  requirement”  indicates  the  least  that  should  be 

accepted  as  satisfactory  at  the  end  of  the  specified  year.  Pages  17-18 
should  be  read  in  connection  with  the  statement  of  minimum  requirements 
for  this  grade.) 

I Two  short,  simple  sentences 
on  a familiar  topic,  given  without 
direct  aid,  and  without  errors  of 
any  kind. 

Sources  of  material: 

Daily  life  of  the  child 

Stories 

Nature  study 


There  will  be  no  written  com- 
position in  the  first  year  except 
as  it  is  correlated  with  reading 
in  word  and  sentence  building, 
aside  from  the  copying  of  occa- 
sional short  sentences  by  the  end 
of  the  year. 


21 


Picture  study 
Fables 

Ethics,  hygiene,  good  manners 
Language  games 
Dramatization 

Memorizing  of  prose  and  poetry 
2 The  recitation  from  memory, 
with  clear  voice  and  pleasant  ex- 
pression, of  two  selections  mem- 
orized during  the  year. 

Oral  Composition  — First  Half  Year 
Begin  oral  work  with  conversation.  Encourage  spontaneous  self- 
expression.  Use  topics  related  to  child’s  daily  experience.  Later  in 
the  term  use,  in  addition  to  conversation,  oral  reproduction  of  short, 
simple  stories.  (For  suitable  examples,  see  list  of  stories  suggested 
for  this  grade.)  Longer  stories,  involving  repetition,  such  as 
“ Chicken  Little  ” and  “ The  Gingerbread  Boy,”  are  good  because 
they  develop  the  sense  of  order  while  keeping  up  the  interest  by 
means  of  the  successive  additions.  One  child  should  not  as  a rule 
tell  the  whole  story  in  reproduction.  Different  children  should  tell 
parts.  Work  for  orderly  arrangement  of  material  and  for  an 
unconscious  recognition  of  the  sentence  unit.  There  should  be  much 
dramatization  of  a free  and  informal  type.  The  dramatization  of 
nursery  rhymes  and  poems  should  be  followed  by  more  ambitious 
attempts.  Drill  daily  to  correct  speech  defects  and  to  improve 
voices. 

Opportunity  may  be  given  in  oral  composition  for  the  play  of 
imagination.  A child  may  imagine  that  he  is  a rose,  an  apple,  a 
kitten,  a mouse,  and  tell  his  story. 

In  the  conversation  lessons,  ethics,  hygiene  and  good  manners 
should  be  taught.  The  lessons  in  good  manners  may  be  worked  into 
games  and  dramatizations,  and  may  be  taught  in  connection  with 
school  social  affairs  as  when  visitors  come  to  the  classroom  or  when 
one  grade  visits  another. 

In  correcting  common  speech  errors,  the  teacher  should  at  first 
simply  and  pleasantly  substitute  the  correct  form  for  the  pupil’s 
repetition.  Later,  drills  should  be  given  in  the  use  of  the  correct 
expression.  The  type  of  language  game  illustrated  in  the  introduc- 
tion is  especially  effective  in  securing  the  repetition  of  the  correct 
form  desired. 


Complete  statements  should  be  required  in  answer  to  questions, 
superfluous  use  of  connectives  should  be  discouraged,  and,  in  every 
possible  way,  the  child  should  be  brought  to  recognize  the  sentence 
unit  — to  feel  the  termination  of  his  spoken  thought.  To  avoid 
monotony  in  sentence  structure,  pupils  should  be  taught  the  use  of 
question  and  exclamation. 

When  memorizing,  pupils  should  learn  the  name  of  the  selection 
and  of  its  author  and  give  these  before  reciting  the  selection.  The 
poem  or  bit  of  prose  should  be  presented  as  a whole  and  any 
unfamiliar  words  or  expressions  made  clear  before  the  memorizing 
begins.  Expression  will  come  in  this  grade  largely  through  imita- 
tion of  the  teacher.  Exaggerated  expression  in  the  teacher’s  read- 
ing is  frequently  advisable  in  order  to  encourage  full  understanding 
and  expressive  reading  by  the  children.  The  victrola  and  pictures 
will  help  to  bring  out  the  thought.  The  children  should  feel  that 
it  is  only  courteous,  when  repeating  a selection,  or  reciting  at  any 
time,  to  speak  clearly  and  to  look  at  the  listeners. 

Written  Composition  — First  Half  Year 

(Written  composition  may  be  postponed  entirely  until  the  second  year  if 
desired.) 

Pupils  may  construct  words  with  letter  cards  and  later,  with 
letter  or  word  cards,  simple  sentences  connected  with  their  reading 
lessons.  These  words  and  sentences  should  follow  the  teacher’s 
blackboard  model.  Pupils  should  use  capitals  and  closing  marks 
of  punctuation  as  in  the  model.  They  should  learn  to  write  their 
names. 

By  the  end  of  the  first  half  year  the  pupils  should  be  familiar 
with  the  following  technicalities : 

1 Capitals 

Beginning  of  sentence 
Name  of  pupil 
Word  I 

2 Punctuation 

Period  at  end  of  statement 
Period  after  middle  initial  of  name 

Oral  Composition  — Second  Half  Year 

Introduction  and  outline  for  first  half  year  should  be  read. 

To  a greater  degree  than  in  the  first  half,  the  child’s  observation 
and  knowledge  may  be  drawn  upon  for  topics  of  conversation. 
More  work  in  reproduction  should  be  given.  From  telling  short, 


simple  stories  with  a definite  beginning,  middle  and  end,  the  child 
will  begin  unconsciously  to  develop  a paragraph  sense.  By  means 
of  perception  or  flash  cards  such  as  are  shown  in  reading  or  number 
work,  and  by  other  devices,  new  words  acquired  should  be  kept  in 
the  child’s  vocabulary. 

Written  Composition  — Second  Half  Year 

Continue  work  of  first  half  year.  A sentence  made  with  cards 
may  be  written  on  the  blackboard  by  the  pupil.  Children  may 
dictate  sentences  of  a “ story,”  which  the  teacher  may  write  on  the 
board  for  them  to  read.  By  the  end  of  the  year  they  may  copy  a 
few  sentences  from  the  blackboard  on  wide-spaced  paper.  Each 
child  should  learn  to  write  his  own  name  and  address ; for  example 

Harold  R.  Smith 

1028  Main  Street 

Hilton,  New  York 

By  the  end  of  the  year  the  pupil  should  have  learned  the  follow- 
ing technicalities : 

1 Capitals 

Names  of  persons 

2 Punctuation 

Question  mark  at  end  of  question  sentence 
Types  of  Composition 

These  type  compositions  are  merely  illustrative.  They  should 
not  be  used  in  any  way  for  classroom  work. 

Oral 

I like  to  help  my  father.  I helped  him  in  the  garden  yesterday. 

Little  Miss  MufTett  was  eating  her  supper.  A spider  came  along. 
Miss  Muffett  was  afraid.  She  ran  away. 

Mr  Spencer  is  our  postman.  He  wears  a grey  suit.  He  brings 
letters. 

I have  soft  fur.  I have  sharp  claws.  My  eyes  shine  in  the  dark. 
I like  to  eat  mice.  What  am  I ? 

Written 

Examples  of  dictated  and  copied  exercises : 

1 A dog  chased  a cat. 

The  cat  was  afraid. 


24 


Tom  came  out  of  the  house. 

He  picked  up  the  cat. 

The  dog  ran  away. 

2 The  squirrel  found  some  nuts. 

He  hid  them  in  a tree. 

Corrective  English  — Grade  I 
Drill  upon  the  correct  use  of  the  following  forms : 


come 

came 

have  come 

do 

did 

have  done 

go 

went 

have  gone 

see 

saw 

have  seen 

give 

gave 

have  given 

sit 

sat 

have  sat 

Drill  upon  there  was  for  they  was;  there  is  for  they  is. 

Correct  the  use  of  the  double  negative. 

Teach  the  order  of  the  first  pronoun  as  last  in  a series. 

Drill  upon  the  correct  forms  for  the  following: 

My  dog  he  ran. 

I hadn’t  nothing  to  do. 

Gimme  for  give  me. 

I seen. 

Drill  upon  the  pronunciation  of  what , why,  which  etc.,  also  on 
catch,  can,  was,  eleven. 

It  is  suggested  that  the  drill  on  correct  word  forms  may  often  be 
worked  out  best  by  means  of  games.  Suppose  the  teacher  desires 
to  teach  the  use  of  the  first  person  pronoun  last  in  a series.  One 
child  covers  his  eyes.  Two  others  sitting  next  to  each  other  knock 
lightly  on  their  desks.  The  first  pupil  opens  his  eyes  and  asks: 
“ John,  did  you  and  William  knock  on  your  desks?  ” “ No,  William 
and  I did  not  knock  on  our  desks.”  The  pupil  then  asks,  “ Mary, 
did  you  and  Emma  knock  on  your  desks?”  “Yes,  Emma  and  I 
did  knock  on  our  desks.” 

Guessing  games  may  be  worked  out  by  the  teacher  to  give  drill 
on  several  of  the  forms  listed  above. 

Second  Year 

The  introductory  sections  on  the  teaching  of  composition  and 
corrective  English  (page  4-19)  in  so  far  as  they  relate  to  the 
work  of  this  grade,  are  to  be  considered  a part  of  the  course  of  study 

Note:  Such  an  exercise  may  be  in  the  nature  of  a continued  story  and 
need  not  be  entirely  copied  at  one  time. 


25 


for  this  year.  Teachers  should  familiarize  themselves  with  the 
outline  for  the  first  grade. 


1 To  encourage  pupils  to  talk 
freely  on  account  of  genuine  in- 
terest, but  always  with  a definite 
and  clearly  formed  plan  in  the 
mind  of  the  teacher  for  improv- 
ing their  use  of  language. 

2 To  develop  distinct  articu- 
lation, a pleasing  tone,  correct 
posture  and  freedom  from  self- 
consciousness. 

3 To  require  complete  state- 
ments. 

4 To  eliminate  the  speech 
errors  assigned  for  correction 
in  this  year  and  to  emphasize  the 
correct  forms  drilled  upon  in  the 
preceding  year. 

5 To  require  equally  good 
English  in  all  subjects. 

6 To  continue  the  develop- 
ment of  the  sentence  sense  with 
special  reference  to  the  elimina- 
tion of  the  superfluous  use  of 
and,  then  and  so. 

7 To  inculcate  the  habit  of 
preceding  oral  recitation  by  a 
moment’s  silent  thought. 

8 To  cultivate  the  desire  to 


Written 

1 To  teach  the  technicalities 
of  writing  assigned  for  this  year. 

2 To  develop  the  power  to 
write  correctly  a few  short  re- 
lated sentences  on  a familiar 
topic.  Such  writing  will  follow 
careful  oral  preparation.  The 
sentence  sense  should  carry  over 
from  oral  to  written  composition. 

3 To  insist  on  neatness  and 
careful  arrangement. 


speak  well. 

Minimum  Requirements 

(The  term  “minimum  requirement”  indicates  the  least  that  should  be 
accepted  as  satisfactory  at  the  end  of  the  specified  year.  Pages  17-18 
should  be  read  in  connection  with  the  statement  of  minimum  requirements 
for  this  grade.) 


1 Three  short  sentences  on 
a familiar  topic,  given  without 
errors  of  any  kind. 

2 The  recitation  from  mem- 
ory, with  distinct  tones  and  in- 


1 The  writing  without  mistake 
of  two  short,  simple  sentences 
on  a familiar  topic,  without  the 
teacher’s  direct  help  but  under 
her  supervision. 


26 


Oral  Written 

telligent  expression,  of  any  two  2 The  copying  without  mis- 
selections  of  moderate  length  take  of  a paragraph  of  four 
memorized  during  the  year.  short  sentences  written  on  the 

blackboard. 

Sources  of  material: 

See  first  year. 

Ways  in  which  a child  may  be  a good  citizen: 
a By  being  kind 
b By  being  courteous 
c By  taking  care  of  school  property 

.Oral  Composition  — First  Half  Year 

See  outline  for  first  year. 

There  should  be  much  dramatization.  (See  page  65,  literature 
section.) 

Continue  work  in  memorizing.  There  should  be  frequent  oppor- 
tunity for  recital  of  selections  memorized,  with  much  attention  to 
expression  and  quality  of  voice. 

Continue  language  games,  inventing  new  ones  when  necessary, 
for  correction  of  common  errors  of  speech.  (See  introduction  to 
oral  composition.)  Some  such  corrective  drill  should  be  given  every 
day. 

When  stories  of  any  length  are  being  reproduced,  assign  topics, 
if  possible,  so  that  one  child  may  give  the  content  of  one  paragraph 
or  one  event  of  a story;  another  that  of  a second  and  so  on,  thus 
further  developing  an  unconscious  paragraph  sense.  Afterward, 
if  the  story  is  not  too  long,  one  child  may  tell  it  all  or  one  child  may 
be  asked  to  give  two  or  three  events  or  parts,  another  two  more, 
and  so  on. 

In  this  as  in  every  other  grade  oral  work  must  precede  written 
work. 

In  all  oral  work  there  should  be  a constant  effort  to  eliminate 
superfluous  connectives  and  in  every  way  to  avoid  the  “ run-on  ” 
sentence. 


Written  Composition  — First  Half  Year 
In  review,  children  should  first  copy  sentences  suggested  by  read- 
ing or  language  lessons  from  the  teacher’s  model  on  the  blackboard. 
Later  pupils  may  dictate  sentences  suggested  by  an  oral  exercise,  to 
the  teacher,  who  will  write  them  on  the  blackboard.  These  may 


27 


be  copied.  If  there  are  several  sentences,  the  teacher  should 
group  them  in  paragraph  form  with  the  first  word  indented  and 
they  should  be  copied  in  that  way. 

As  an  extension  of  the  work  pupils  may  be  asked  to  make  sen- 
tences independent  of  a model.  These  may  be  reproductions  from 
memory  or  original.  The  teacher  should  guard  against  incorrect 
spelling  by  writing  on  the  board  any  unfamiliar  word  that  she  thinks 
the  pupils  may  need.  When  the  child  has  written  his  sentences,  he 
should  look  his  work  over,  first,  for  omission  of  words ; second,  for 
incorrect  capitalization ; third,  for  incorrect  spelling. 

Technicalities : 

1 Arrangement 

a One-inch  margin  at  left  of  paper  (ruled  margin  lines 
should  not  be  used). 

b One-inch  indention  for  paragraph  beginning. 
c Heading  for  written  papers 

2 Language 

a Capitals 
Word  O 
Days  of  week 
Months  of  year 
First  word  of  line  of  poetry 
b Punctuation 

Period  after  abbreviations  and  initials 
Marks  used  in  school  heading  of  written  papers 
c Abbreviations 

The  state,  the  months  used  by  pupils  in  their  writing 

Oral  Composition  — Second  Half  Year 

Continue  the  work  given  in  the  first  half  year.  The  pupils  should 
show  a decided  advance  in  coherence  and  in  ability  to  keep  to  the 
topic  and  to  observe  time  sequence.  In  this  as  in  preceding  grades 
the  child  should  be  given  an  opportunity  to  invent.  Pictures  will  be 
an  admirable  aid  in  the  oral  inventive  work.  Only  worthwhile 
pictures  should  be  used.  Those  showing  life  and  action  are  to  be 
preferred. 

There  should  be  much  reproduction.  For  suggestions  as  to  the 
method,  see  introduction  and  the  outline  for  first  year.  When  pupils 
are  arranging  in  logical  order  the  parts  of  a story,  they  are  taking 
the  first  step  toward  paragraphing. 


28 


Written  Composition  — Second  Half  Year 

The  written  work,  as  in  all  grades,  should  be  preceded  by  thorough 
oral  preparation.  At  first  children  will  copy  from  the  blackboard 
their  own  original  sentences  written  there  by  the  teacher  or  will 
copy  other  exercises  in  prose  or  poetry  assigned  by  the  teacher. 
Original  sentences  should  be  on  a related  topic  and  should,  with 
the  children’s  help,  be  arranged  in  logical  order  before  they  are 
copied.  In  writing  models  on  the  blackboard  the  teacher,  mindful 
of  her  example,  should  indent  the  first  word  of  each  paragraph  and 
should  indent  the  first  word  of  a sentence  if  it  is  written  alone  and 
on  two  lines.  She  should  be  careful  to  indent  the  end  of  a line  of 
poetry  when  the  line  occupies  more  than  one  line  of  space  on  the 
blackboard. 

Wrong: 

I have  a little  shadow  that  goes  in  and  out 
with  me, 

And  what  can  be  the  use  of  him  is  more  than 
I can  see. 

Right: 

I have  a little  shadow  that  goes  in  and  out 
with  me, 

And  what  can  be  the  use  of  him  is  more  than 
I can  see. 

Later,  children  may  write  short  exercises  in  reproduction  follow- 
ing oral  reproduction  and  finally  original  sentences  on  a topic  pre- 
viously developed.  They  should  be  aided  by  a suggestive  word 
outline.  Not  more  than  four  or  five  sentences  should  be  required. 

Very  simple  exercises  in  dictation  should  be  given  to  provide  drill 
in  the  use  of  technicalities  that  have  been  taught. 

The  respect  for  the  sentence  unit  inculcated  in  the  oral  lessons 
should  carry  over  into  the  written  work. 

Technicalities : 

1 Arrangement 

a Approximate  half-inch  margin  at  the  right 
b Paragraph  form  (learned  by  imitation) 

2 Language 

a Capitals 

Places 

Name  of  school 


29 


b Punctuation 

Apostrophe  in  possessive  words  in  the  singular  number 
c Abbreviations 
Av.,  St. 


Types  of  Compositions 

These  type  compositions  are  merely  illustrative.  They  should 
not  be  used  in  any  way  for  classroom  work. 

Oral 

I have  a pet  cat.  My  cat’s  name  is  Pedro.  He  has  black  fur. 

I am  round  and  brown  and  hard.  There  is  a picture  on  me. 
There  is  some  printing  on  me  too.  I often  live  in  people’s  pockets. 
What  am  I ? 

I wash  my  teeth  three  times  a day.  I want  to  have  good  clean 
teeth.  My  toothbrush  has  red  stripes  on  the  back  and  my  brother’s 
is  white.  Mother  bought  them  like  that  so  we  would  not  get  them 
mixed. 

Peter  Rabbit  was  naughty.  He  ran  into  the  garden.  Mr  McGregor 
caught  him,  but  he  got  away.  He  ran  home.  He  was  sorry  he 
was  bad. 

Written 

I have  a dog. 

He  follows  me  to  school. 

My  name  is  Mary  Smith.  I was  born  in  Elmsford.  I am  seven 
years  old.  I live  in  Anderson  Park.  I am  in  the  second  grade  of 
the  South  Side  School. 

Corrective  English  — Grade  2 

Drill  upon  the  forms 


lie 

lay 

have  lain 

speak 

spoke 

have  spoken 

teach 

taught 

have  taught 

ring 

rang 

have  rung 

swing 

swung 

have  swung 

Drill  upon  the  use  of  can  and  may. 

Drill  upon  am,  is,  are,  was,  were,  with  personal  pronouns  in  all 
persons.  Drill  especially  on  you  were. 

Teach  the  correct  use  of  burst. 

Drill  upon  the  correction  of 
Brung  for  bring 
Et  for  ate 


30 


Drill  upon  the  correct  forms  for  the  following: 

May,  Jane  and  I we  ran. 

Yes  ma’m. 

I  dunno. 

5 goes  into  io  twice. 

Are  they  any  school? 

Ain’t  got  none. 

He  buyed  some  candy. 

She  do  that. 

Hurted. 

Drill  upon  the  pronunciation  of  for,  from,  picture,  something, 
often,  figure,  because,  chimney,  children,  and  common  words  ending 
in  ing. 

Third  Year 

The  introductory  sections  on  the  teaching  of  composition  and 
corrective  English  (pages  4-19)  in  so  far  as  they  relate  to  the 
work  of  this  grade,  are  to  be  considered  a part  of  the  course  of 
study  for  this  year.  Teachers  should  familiarize  themselves  with 
the  outlines  for  preceding  grades. 


Aims 

Oral 

1 To  encourage  pupils  to  talk 
freely  on  account  of  genuine 
interest,  but  always  with  a defi- 
nite and  clearly  formed  plan  in 
the  mind  of  the  teacher  for  im- 
proving their  use  of  language. 

2 To  develop  distinct  articu- 
lation, a pleasing  tone,  correct 
posture  and  freedom  from  self- 
consciousness. 

3 To  require  complete  state- 
ments. 

4 To  eliminate  the  speech 
errors  assigned  for  correction  in 
this  year  and  to  emphasize  the 
correct  forms  drilled  upon  in 
preceding  years. 

5 To  require  equally  good 
English  in  all  subjects. 


Written 

1 To  teach  the  technicalities 
of  writing  assigned  for  this  year 
and  emphasize  those  taught  in 
preceding  years. 

2 To  develop  the  power  to 
write  correctly  a few  short  re- 
lated sentences  in  paragraph 
form. 

3 To  insist  on  neatness  and 
good  arrangement. 


31 


Oral  Written 

6 To  continue  the  development 
of  the  sentence  sense  with  spe- 
cial reference  to  tne  elimination 
of  the  superfluous  use  of  and, 
then  and  so. 

7 To  inculcate  the  habit  of 
preceding  oral  recitation  by  a 
moment’s  silent  thought. 

8 To  cultivate  the  desire  to 
speak  well. 


Minimum  Requirements 

(The  term  “minimum  requirement”  indicates  the  least  that  should  be 
accepted  as  satisfactory  at  the  end  of  the  specified  year.  Pages  17-18 
should  be  read  in  connection  with  the  statement  of  minimum  requirements 


for  this  grade.) 

i Four  short  related  sentences 
on  a familiar  topic  arranged  in 
logical  order. 

2 The  recitation  from  mem- 
ory, with  distinct  tones  and  in- 
telligent expression,  of  any  two 
selections  of  moderate  length 
memorized  during  the  year. 


1 The  writing  without  error  of 
three  short  related  sentences  ar- 
ranged in  paragraph  form.  The 
work  should  be  done  without 
the  teacher’s  direct  help  but 
under  her  supervision. 

2 The  copying  from  the  black- 
board without  mistake  of  ( a ) a 
simple  paragraph  of  five  short 
sentences,  (h)  four  consecutive 
lines  of  poetry  selected  from  the 
course  for  this  year. 


Sources  of  material ; 

See  preceding  years. 

Ways  in  which  a boy  or  girl  may  be  a good  citizen: 
a Good  citizenship  at  school  and  at  home 
b Proper  conduct  in  public  places 
c Observation  of  safety-first  rules 
d Observation  of  sanitary  rules 
Topical  recitations  upon  subjects  chosen  from  other  studies 
Picture  study 

Reproduction  of  stories  and  poems 
Original  stories  and  poems 
Anecdotes,  jokes,  and  riddles 


32 


Report  of  local  events 
Dramatization 
Memorizing 
Language  games 

Oral  Composition  — First  Half  Year 
Whenever  possible,  fit  the  oral  expression  lessons  to  special  occa- 
sions ; as,  Columbus  Day,  a picnic,  a circus  parade,  clean-up  week 
etc.  The  work  in  language  should  be  so  planned  that  it  is  in  keeping 
with  the  season  of  the  year  and  with  the  spirit  that  characterizes 
that  season. 

Courtesy  may  be  taught  or  emphasized  by  the  dramatization  of 
imaginary  incidents  or  situations ; as,  child  receives  caller  and  goes 
to  tell  mother  of  caller’s  arrival,  returns  to  tell  caller  whether  or 
not  mother  is  at  home,  etc. 

Conduct  the  oral  exercises  economically  as  to  time,  so  that  each 
child  may  make  his  contribution.  Commend  the  use  of  an  effective 
expression  or  of  a new  word  well  used.  Topics  should  be  fewer 
and  more  thoroughly  treated  than  heretofore. 

Continue  developing  an  unconscious  paragraph  sense  in  the  repro- 
duction of  stories,  event  by  event.  Encourage  the  use  of  varied 
terms  to  avoid  repetition.  Children  will  begin  to  observe  when  one 
word  is  used  too  often.  Socialize  the  recitation. 

Only  such  stories  should  be  chosen  for  reproduction  as  the  chil- 
dren have  enjoyed.  If  a pleasing  story  is  too  long  for  satisfactory 
reproduction  by  the  children,  the  teacher  may  tell  the  less  interesting 
parts  and  allow  the  different  children  to  tell  the  interesting  events. 
It  is  well,  as  a rule,  to  allow  a day  to  elapse  between  the  reading  and 
reproducing  of  a story,  so  that  there  may  be  time  for  its  discussion 
and  resultant  fixing  in  the  children’s  minds. 

There  should  be  continued  effort  to  develop  and  fix  the  sentence 
sense.  The  “ run-on  ” sentence  should  not  be  permitted.  Pupils 
will  have  begun  to  develop  some  ability  to  use  proper  transitional 
and  connective  words  through  imitation,  but  there  should  be  no 
striving  after  long  sentences.  The  short,  accurate  sentence  is  the 
only  safe  medium  of  expression  in  this  grade.  This  does  not  mean 
that  a child  who  has  exceptional  ability  in  oral  expression  should 
be  discouraged. 

Continue  drills  for  correct  articulation  and  enunciation.  Give 
individual  attention  to  speech  defects  not  reached  by  class  drill. 
Insist  that  children  open  their  mouths  well  when  they  speak. 


33 


Written  Composition  — First  Half  Year 

Continue  the  work  in  copying  from  the  board  groups  of  sentences 
based  on  oral  composition.  There  should  be  class  discussion  as  to 
orderly  arrangement  of  such  sentences.  Children  should  consciously 
strive  for  strong  opening  and  closing  sentences. 

Sentences  written  on  the  board  as  suggested  above  may  be  covered 
and  used  as  a dictation  exercise.  There  may  be  also  other  simple 
dictation  exercises  to  test  technical  accuracy.  These  should  not 
involve  problems  with  which  the  children  are  not  familiar. 

A short  story  used  for  oral  reproduction  or  an  event  of  a longer 
story  so  used  may  be  reproduced  in  writing.  At  first  the  sentences 
may  be  dictated  by  the  pupils  and  copied  from  the  teacher’s  model 
on  the  blackboard;  later  the  children  may  write  the  story  or  event 
from  a suggestive  outline. 

Some  writing  from  memory  should  be  done.  When  parts  of 
poems  are  so  written,  great  care  should  be  taken  to  observe  the 
proper  technical  arrangement  of  the  verses.  Only  a small  part  of 
a poem  should  be  assigned  at  a time  to  be  written  from  memory, 
and  the  pupil  should  not  attempt  to  write  this  without  having  pre- 
viously observed  a properly  written  model. 

The  “ run-on  ” sentence  should  be  constantly  discouraged. 

Technicalities : 

1 Arrangement 

a Leave  blank  the  last  line  on  a written  page 
b Leave  line  vacant  between  title  and  composition 

2 Language 

a Capitals 
Holidays 
Initials 

b Punctuation 

Period  after  abbreviations 

Hyphen  to  separate  syllables  of  a word  broken  at  the 
end  of  the  line.  (Pupils  should  be  warned  never 
to  divide  a word  unless  sure  of  the  syllables) 
c Abbreviations 
Days  of  week 

Months  that  have  not  been  already  taught 
Measures  used  in  number  work 


2 


34 


Oral  Composition  — Second  Half  Year 

The  work  of  the  first  half  year  should  be  continued,  with  some 
increase  in  difficulty.  The  child’s  vocabulary  should  show  growth. 
In  connection  with  the  telling  of  jokes  and  humorous  anecdotes,  as 
an  oral  exercise,  the  sense  of  humor  may  be  developed  and  directed. 
Consideration  of  the  feelings  of  others  should  guide  the  child  when 
he  selects  a funny  story  to  tell. 

Written  Composition  — Second  Half  Year 

Continue  the  work  of  the  first  half  year  with  a slight  increase  in 
difficulty  in  matter  presented  and  work  assigned. 

Copying,  dictation  and  writing  from  memory  should  be  continued. 

In  connection  with  reproduction,  words  new  to  the  class  should 
be  emphasized.  They  should  be  placed  on  the  blackboard  and  pupils 
should  be  encouraged  to  use  them  in  their  oral  and  written  work. 

A long  story  containing  a series  of  easily  remembered  events  may 
be  reproduced  by  separating  the  class  into  groups  and  allowing  each 
group  to  write  a part  of  the  story.  Outlines  or  guide  words  should 
be  used  as  aids  in  all  reproduction  exercises. 

The  oral  language  stories  suggested  by  pictures  will  furnish  good 
material  for  original  stories  in  writing.  When  the  pupils  have  devel- 
oped a topic  in  conversation,  they  may  make  an  original  written 
contribution  to  the  topic.  The  teacher  may  help  them  by  a simple 
outline  but  this  does  not  need  to  be  done  invariably. 

Very  simple  letters,  omitting  the  heading,  may  be  written  if  the 
class  seems  well  advanced.  As  a first  step  children  should  copy 
short  model  letters  (see  fourth  year). 

In  all  spoken  and  written  work  the  sentence  unit  should  be  guarded 
with  care.  The  teacher  should  by  example  and  illustration  demon- 
strate to  her  class  the  proper  use  of  subordinate  and  other  con- 
nectives. She  must  bear  in  mind,  though,  that  a short  sentence, 
however  choppy,  is  better  than  a “ run-on  ” sentence. 

In  this  and  all  other  grades  where  written  work  is  done,  the  pupils 
should  examine  their  individual  written  work,  first  for  one  type  of 
error,  then  for  another,  before  handing  it  in. 

Much  use  should  be  made  of  the  blackboard.  On  some  occasions, 
when  a composition  is  to  be  written  cooperatively  on  the  blackboard, 
each  child  may  write  his  own  contributed  sentence,  waiting  when 
Jie  finishes  for  criticism  from  class  and  teacher.  As  another  exer- 
cise, each  child  in  the  class  may  write  on  the  blackboard  two  or 
three  related  sentences.  Later  he  may  give  to  the  class  the  reason 
for  each  capital  and  punctuation  mark  that  he  has  used. 


35 


Technicalities : 

1 Arrangement 

a The  salutation,  body  and  conclusion  of  a friendly  letter 
(may  be  given  in  this  grade,  but  not  required) 

2 Language 

a Capitals 

Salutation  and  conclusion  of  letter  (see  note  above) 
b Punctuation 

The  apostrophe  in  contractions 
c Abbreviations  and  contractions  Rev.,  R.  F.  D.,  Co. 
(county),  don’t,  doesn’t,  can’t,  won’t,  hasn’t,  haven’t, 
aren’t,  didn’t 

Types  of  Compositions 

These  type  compositions  are  merely  illustrative.  They  are  not 
designed  to  be  used  in  any  way  in  the  classroom. 

Oral 

My  Doll’s  House 

My  doll  has  a little  house.  It  has  a bedroom  with  a bureau  and 
washstand.  It  has  a kitchen,  too.  There  are  dishes  in  the  kitchen. 

My  Dream 

I dreamed  I was  a kite.  I flew  and  flew  up  into  the  air.  I did  not 
have  any  string  fastened  to  me.  At  last  I bumped  into  a star.  I 
was  afraid  of  it  so  I flew  home. 

A Funny  Story 

Yesterday  my  mother  was  cutting  bread.  She  was  going  to  make 
sandwiches  for  the  Grange  picnic.  My  little  brother  was  watching 
her.  He  said,  “ Why,  mother,  you  have  unloafed  a whole  loaf  of 
bread.” 

How  I Made  a Calendar 

I gave  my  mother  a calendar  for  Christmas.  I made  it  out  of 
red  construction  paper.  I cut  out  two  little  green  paper  Christmas 
trees  and  pasted  them  near  the  top.  The  calendar  part  was  below 
the  trees.  I punched  two  holes  above  the  trees  and  ran  green  ribbon 
through  to  hang  it  by. 

Written 

The  School  Clock 

I am  a clock.  I am  busy  all  the  time.  I sit  up  over  the  teacher’s 
desk  and  watch  the  children.  When  they  go  home  I am  lonely. 


36 


Safety  First 

When  I was  in  the  second  grade  I used  to  come  upstairs  on  the 
wrong  side.  I thought  it  did  not  matter.  One  day  a big  boy  was 
coming  down  fast.  He  ran  into  me  and  knocked  me  downstairs. 
Now  I come  upstairs  on  the  right  side. 


Corrective  English  — Grade  3 
Drill  on  the  forms 


sing 

sang 

have  sung 

bite 

bit 

have  bitten 

tear 

tore 

have  torn 

buy 

bought 

have  bought 

hear 

heard 

have  heard 

take 

took 

have  taken 

give 

gave 

have  given 

begin 

began 

have  begun 

Distinguish  between  the 

use  of  bring  and  fetch,  to  and  at,  mad 

and  angry,  mend  and  fix,  sit  and  set. 

Drill  upon  the  subject  of  sentence  in  answer  to  questions  to  cor- 
rect such  expressions  as  “ Who  did  it?  Me.” 

Drill  upon  the  correction  of  such  expressions  as  “ Her  and  me 
is  here.” 

Drill  upon  the  use  of  at  for  to  after  was  to  correct  such  expres- 
sions as  “ I was  to  the  beach.” 

Drill  upon  the  use  of  don't  and  doesn't  to  correct  such  expressions 
as  it  don't,  she  don't,  he  don't. 

Drill  upon  the  correction  of 
Wanter  for  want  to 
Them  for  those 

Slang,  trun  or  trung  for  threw. 

Drill  upon  the  correction  of  the  following: 

Tain’t  no  good. 

He  don’t  wants  to  go. 

Me  no  got. 

Hisself. 

He  is  all  better. 

His’n,  her’n,  your’n. 

Boys  has. 

Is  we  goin’  ? 

I ain’t  done. 

I ain’t  doin’  nuthin’  to  you. 


I  don’t  hit  nobody  no  more. 

He  went  an’  hit  me. 

She  has  been  and  took  my  paper. 

She  didn’t  came. 

Drill  on  the  pronunciation  of  hundred,  every,  umbrella,  hand- 
kerchief, vegetables,  apron,  February,  such,  can't,  new,  across,  yes- 
terday, diamond,  Tuesday. 


Fourth  Year 

The  introductory  sections  on  the  teaching  of  composition  and 
corrective  English  (pages  4-19)  in  so  far  as  they  relate  to  the 
work  of  this  grade,  are  to  be  considered  a part  of  the  course  of 
study  for  this  year.  Teachers  should  familiarize  themselves  with 
the  outlines  for  preceding  grades. 

Aims 


Oral 

1 To  encourage  pupils  to  talk 
freely  on  account  of  genuine  in- 
terest, but  always  with  a definite 
and  clearly  formed  plan  in  the 
mind  of  the  teacher  for  improv- 
ing their  use  of  language. 

2 To  require  equally  good 
English  in  all  classes. 

3 To  develop  distinct  articu- 
lation, a pleasing  tone,  correct 
posture  and  freedom  from  self- 
consciousness. 

4 To  require  complete  state- 
ments. 

5 To  eliminate  the  errors  in 
speech  assigned  for  correction  in 
this  year  and  to  emphasize  the 
correct  forms  drilled  upon  in 
preceding  years. 

6 To  develop  the  sentence 
sense  and  discourage  the  super- 
fluous use  of  and,  then  and  so, 
but  with  a definite  effort  to  se- 
cure proper  transition  as  a means 
of  increasing  fluency. 


Written 

1 To  teach  the  technicalities 
indicated  for  this  year  and  em- 
phasize those  taught  in  preceding 
years. 

2 To  strengthen  the  sentence 
sense  by  the  frequent  writing  of 
short  paragraphs  made  up  of 
short,  well-constructed  sentences. 

3 To  develop  the  ability  to 
write  a familiar  letter. 

4 To  insist  on  neatness,  proper 
arrangement,  good  penmanship 
and  careful  spelling  in  all  written 
work. 


38 


Oral  Written 

7 To  strive  for  an  orderly  ar- 
rangement of  sentences  in  oral 
composition  and  for  a definite 
beginning,  middle  and  end. 

8 To  cultivate  the  desire  to 
speak  well. 

Minimum  Requirements 

(The  term  “minimum  requirement”  indicates  the  least  that  should  be 
accepted  as  satisfactory  at  the  end  of  the  specified  year.  Pages  17-18 
should  be  read  in  connection  with  the  statement  of  minimum  requirements 
for  this  grade.) 

1 Five  well-constructed  sen- 
tences on  a familiar  topic,  given 
without  error  and  so  arranged 
that  if  written  they  would  form 
a paragraph. 

2 The  recitation  from  mem- 
ory, with  clear,  distinct  tones 
and  intelligent  expression,  of  any 
two  selections  of  moderate  length 
memorized  during  the  year. 

Sources  of  material: 

See  third  year 

Good  citizenship  [See  the  outline  of  “The  Good  American  ” as 
given  in  The  Children's  Code  of  Morals  by  Hutchins] 
Obedience,  service,  self-control,  courtesy 

Model  letters 

Oral  Composition  — First  Half  Year 

As  the  work  in  English  is  cumulative,  the  teacher  of  each  grade 
should  familiarize  herself  with  the  work  of  the  preceding  grades. 
There  should  be  no  formal  review  in  oral  expression,  but  the  pupils 
should  be  held  responsible  for  what  they  have  been  taught.  They 
should  now  consciously  recognize  the  sentence  as  the  unit  of 
expression. 

There  should  be  much  oral  expression  of  information  gained  in 
reading  and  study.  In  connection  with  letter  writing,  to  which 
much  attention  should  be  given  in  this  grade,  there  should  be  oral 
lessons  based  upon  the  proper  addressing,  sealing  and  stamping  of 


1 The  writing  without  error 
of  five  well-constructed  sen- 
tences related  to  a familiar  topic 
and  arranged  in  paragraph  form. 
The  work  should  be  done  with- 
out the  teacher’s  direct  help  but 
under  her  supervision. 

2 The  writing  without  error 
of  a short,  simple,  friendly  letter. 


39 


an  envelop,  the  work  of  the  postmen  and  postal  clerks,  the  dead 
letter  office,  etc.  “ The  Experiences  of  a Letter  ” may  be  given 
orally  and  in  writing.  Read  “ How  the  First  Letter  Was  Written  ” 
from  Kipling’s  Just-So  Stories. 

In  connection  with  the  invention  of  original  stories,  pictures  may 
be  used  as  in  preceding  grades.  A group  of  suggestive  phrases 
written  on  the  blackboard  by  the  teacher  will  produce  interesting 
results ; for  example,  a rainy  day,  a mud  puddle,  a little  boy,  a 
slash,  a howl ; or,  an  icy  sidewalk,  a timid  old  woman,  a kind  boy 
a helping  hand,  the  woman’s  gratitude. 

Watch  for  new  words  and  encourage  their  use  in  the  pupil’s 
vocabulary.  Some  drill  in  the  use  of  synonyms  should  be  given. 

The  sentence  sense  should  constantly  be  developed.  As  an  exer- 
cise the  teacher  may  give,  orally,  a group  of  words,  and  require 
pupils  to  tell  which  are  sentences  and  which  are  not.  Pupils  may 
make  sentences  by  completing  the  incomplete  groups.  A game  may 
be  played  in  which  a child  gives  a group  of  words  and  asks  another 
child  to  tell  whether  or  not  it  is  a sentence  and  why.  Pupils 
should  be  able  to  tell  whether  or  not  the  answer  is  correct.  For 
such  an  exercise  as  this  the  class  may  be  divided  into  two  com- 
peting teams. 

Continue  work  in  elimination  of  common  errors  by  means  of 
games,  rhymes  and  drills.  Posters  may  sometimes  be  used  effect- 
ively to  keep  before  the  children’s  eyes  the  correct  form.  Give 
special  attention  to  the  elimination  of  superfluous  introductory 
words ; as,  now,  why,  say,  listen. 

Continue  vocal  drill  and  memorizing. 

Written  Composition  — First  Half  Year 

See  suggestions  for  third  year.  The  various  types  of  composition 
suggested  for  the  third  year  should  be  continued  in  the  fourth  year 
with  some  increase  in  difficulty.  Letter  writing  should  be  thor- 
oughly taught  at  this  time.  A model  friendly  letter,  short  and 
absolutely  correct,  should  be  written  upon  the  blackboard.  After 
discussion  of  its  various  parts  the  children  may  copy  it.  After 
several  exercises  of  this  sort,  these  same  letters  may  be  dictated  to 
the  pupils  to  give  them  further  drill  and  to  test  their  knowledge  of 
the  form. 


4-0 


When  the  letter  form  has  been  memorized,  the  writing  of  original 
letters  should  begin.  Topics  supplied  should  be  interesting  and 
related  to  the  life  of  the  child. 

The  paragraph  should  be  discussed  in  connection  with  some  of 
the  selections  in  reading.  Pupils  should  note  its  form  and  select 
the  topic.  Their  work  in  oral  reproduction,  if  properly  conducted, 
will  be  steadily  developing  the  paragraph  sense.  They  may  be  asked 
to  copy  short  selections  of  more  than  one  paragraph,  observe  the 
form,  and  select  the  topics.  They  should  note  strong  opening  and 
closing  sentences  and  strive  to  secure  these  in  their  original  written 
work. 

Continue  exercises  in  copying,  dictation  and  writing  from  mem- 
ory. In  taking  dictation  pupils  should  not  be  allowed  in  this  or  any 
grade  to  form  the  habit  of  asking  to  have  a dictated  sentence 
repeated.  Dictation  exercises  may  be  written  on  the  blackboard 
and  studied  with  special  attention  to  difficult  points.  A map  may 
be  drawn  down  over  the  exercise  and  pupils  asked  to  write  it  from 
the  teacher’s  dictation.  When  the  map  is  withdrawn,  the  pupils  may 
examine  their  papers  for  errors  and  discuss  these  with  the  teacher, 
who  will  emphasize  the  important  points  in  the  exercise.  Pupils 
may  sometimes  exchange  papers  for  correction.  Dictation  for  drill 
purposes  should  be  given  at  least  once  a week. 

In  the  fourth  year  much  more  of  the  criticism  than  formerly 
should  come  from  the  pupils.  The  children  must  learn  to  criticize 
helpfully  and  to  accept  criticism  courteously  and  receptively. 

Much  use  should  be  made  of  the  blackboard  for  correction  of 
errors  in  written  composition.  Pupils  should  continue  writing  short 
themes  of  a few  sentences  on  the  board.  (See  third  year). 

Technicalities : 
i Arrangement 

a Parts  of  a letter 
One-inch  margin 
One-inch  indention 

Begin  heading  and  complimentary  close  near  middle 
of  page 

Begin  signature  a little  to  the  right  under  compli- 
mentary close 

Begin  second  and  third  lines  of  heading  a little  to  the 
right  of  the  line  above 
Begin  salutation  one  inch  from  edge  of  paper 
b Superscription  of  an  envelop 


41 


2 Language 
a Capitals 

Heading,  complimentary  close,  superscription  of 
envelop 

First  word  of  quotation 
b Punctuation 

Marks  used  in  heading  and  superscription 

Quotation  marks 

Commas  with  direct  quotation 

Apostrophe  in  plural  possessives 
c Abbreviations 

No.,  R.  R.,  Jr.,  Sr.,  Co.  (company),  and  any  others 
pupils  need  to  use. 
d Contractions 

Isn’t,  wasn’t,  I’ve,  wouldn’t,  couldn’t,  and  others  in 
common  use. 

Oral  Composition  — Second  Half  Year 
See  first  half  year. 

In  addition  to  less  formal  work,  one  period  a week  should  be 
devoted  to  formal  talks  in  which  the  speaker  should  address  the 
class.  The  subjects  of  the  talks  may  be  short  stories  from  the 
literature  of  the  grades,  current  events,  humorous  anecdotes,  etc. 
These  formal  talks  need  not  be  given  invariably  in  the  English 
period.  They  offer  excellent  opportunity  for  review  in  geography 
or  nature  study  and  may  be  used  to  provide  entertainment  in  morn- 
ing exercises.  The  pupil  must  not  memorize  what  he  is  to  say,  but 
may  be  permitted  to  memorize  his  closing  sentence  to  prevent  a 
weak  ending.  The  criticism  of  this  work  should  come  largely  from 
the  pupils.  (See  introduction)  Such  general  statements  as  “ She 
did  very  well  ” or  “ It  was  a good  story  ” should  not  be  accepted, 
unless  accompanied  by  reasons.  Criticism  must  be  definite. 

Written  Composition  — Second  Half  Year 
Continue  the  work  of  the  first  half  year. 

Blackboard  drill  in  simple  paragraphing  should  be  given.  Para- 
graphs that  have  been  written  on  the  blackboard  may  be  copied. 


42 


Later  the  same  paragraphs  may  be  written  from  dictation  to  test 
the  ability  to  note  the  beginning  of  a new  paragraph. 

Technicalities : 

I Language 
a Capitals 

In  titles  of  all  sorts 

Words  referring  to  the  Deity 
b Punctuation 

Comma  after  words  yes  and  no,  when  used  as  part  of 
a sentence 

Comma  or  commas  with  name  of  person  addressed 
c Abbreviations 

Gov.,  Gen.,  Capt.,  Lieut.,  Hon.,  and  any  others  needed 
Types  of  Compositions 

These  type  compositions  are  merely  illustrative.  They  are  not 
designed  to  be  used  in  any  way  in  the  classroom. 

Oral 

A Polite  Pony 

Once  I was  going  for  a walk.  I saw  a pony  by  a house.  I gave 
him  a piece  of  my  apple.  After  he  had  eaten  it  he  bowed  his  head. 
I think  he  meant,  “ Thank  you.” 

The  Sahara  Desert 

The  Sahara  desert  is  very  hot  and  dry.  It  is  in  the  northwestern 
part  of  Africa.  Some  parts  of  the  Sahara  are  level  and  other  parts 
are  rough  and  stony.  In  some  places  the  wind  blows  the  sand  into 
the  hills.  When  people  go  across  the  Sahara  they  travel  on  camels. 

A Holiday  Trip 

On  Columbus  Day  my  father  took  Harry  and  me  to  Bronx  Park, 
We  took  our  lunch  so  that  we  could  spend  the  day  there.  We  walked 
around  for  a while.  Then  we  ate  our  lunch  in  a pavilion. 

After  that  we  went  to  see  the  animals.  I liked  them  best.  We 
saw  lions,  tigers,  bears,  camels,  elephants,  and  a good  many  other 
kinds. 

We  saw  a keeper  feed  the  lions  and  tigers.  He  gave  them  big 
pieces  of  meat.  The  lions  roared.  One  lion  was  sick.  He  didn’t 
eat  anything.  The  keeper  said  he  was  very  old. 


43 


A Better  Speech  Jingle 

It  makes  our  teacher  almost  faint 
To  hear  the  children  saying  “ ain’t.” 

Written 

A Letter  to  a Sick  Friend 

28  Linton  Place 

Westfield,  New  York 
May  15,  1918 

Dear  Harry: 

We  are  very  sorry  you  are  sick.  We  miss  you  at  school.  Your 
mother  said  I might  come  to  see  you  Saturday.  I will  bring  you 
some  oranges  and  the  new  St  Nicholas.  Perhaps  Ted  will  come 
with  me. 

Your  friend 
Tom 

My  Favorite  Story 

My  favorite  story  is  Pinochio.  Pinochio  was  a kind  of  wooden 
doll,  but  he  could  move  and  talk  like  a live  boy.  He  was  full  of 
mischief.  Once  when  he  was  naughty  his  nose  grew  very  long. 
He  had  a great  many  adventures  and  trials.  At  last  he  learned  to 
be  kind  and  good. 


Corrective 

English  — 

Grade  4 

Drill  upon  the  forms 

lend 

lent 

have  lent 

blow 

blew 

have  blown 

freeze 

froze 

have  frozen 

burst 

burst 

have  burst 

rise 

rose 

have  risen 

shake 

shook 

have  shaken 

drown 

drowned 

have  drowned 

go 

went 

have  gone 

shine 

shone 

have  shone 

Distinguish  between 

Learn  and  teach 

Sit  and  set 

Says  and  said 

Drill  upon 

I mhs h,  not  I 7msht 

Different  from,  not  different  than 

Somezvhere , not  someplace 


44 


Drill  upon  the  use  of  well  and  good.  “ He  did  it  well”  not  “ He 
did  it  good,”  etc. 

Drill  upon  the  use  of  to,  too,  two. 

Drill  upon  the  correction  of : 

Fired  for  threw 
They  are  for  there  are 
Git  for  get 

How  much  for  how  many 
Clim  for  climbed 
Heared  for  heard 
Are  for  our 
Agin  for  again 

Drill  upon  the  correction  of  the  following: 

Hadn’t  ought  to 

I have  got 

I got  it  off  John 

First  off 

Take  a hold 

This  here  and  that  there 

Hain’t  got 

Are  youse 

East  from 

Larger’n,  longer’n 

I bought  me  a hat. 

My  pen  point  is  busted. 

I told  him  if  I could  go 
I’ll  make  him  take  one  for 
I’ll  let  him  take  one. 

Me  and  him  has  got  to  go  to  church. 

Drill  on  the  pronunciation  of  quiet,  height,  grocery,  column , 
geography,  arithmetic , quantity,  learned,  arctic,  kettle. 

Fifth  Year 

The  introductory  sections  on  composition  and  corrective  English 
(pages  4-19)  in  so  far  as  they  relate  to  the  work  of  this  grade,  are 
to  be  considered  a part  of  the  course  of  study  for  this  year.  Teach- 
ers should  familiarize  themselves  with  the  outlines  for  preceding 
grades. 


45 


Aims 

Oral  Written 


1 To  encourage  pupils  to  talk 
freely  on  account  of  genuine  in- 
terest, but  always  with  a definite 
and  clearly  formed  plan  in  the 
mind  of  the  teacher  for  improv- 
ing their  use  of  language. 

2 To  require  equally  good 
English  in  all  classes. 

3 To  develop  distinct  articu- 
lation, a pleasing  tone,  correct 
posture  and  freedom  from  self- 
consciousness. 

4 To  require  complete  state- 
ments. 

5 To  eliminate  the  errors  in 
speech  assigned  for  correction  in 
this  year  and  to  emphasize  the 
correct  forms  drilled  upon  in 
preceding  years. 

6 To  develop  the  sentence 
sense  and  discourage  the  super- 
fluous use  of  and , then  and  so, 
but  with  a definite  effort  to  se- 
cure proper  transition  as  a means 
of  increasing  fluency. 

7 To  continue  emphasizing 
orderly  arrangement  of  sentence 
material  with  much  attention  to 
developing  ability  to  stick  to  the 
point  and  to  show  a definite  be- 
ginning, middle  and  end. 

8 To  cultivate  the  desire  to 
speak  well. 


1 To  teach  the  technicalities 
assigned  for  this  year  and  em- 
phasize those  taught  in  preced- 
ing years. 

2 To  insist  upon  neatness, 
good  arrangement,  good  pen- 
manship and  correct  spelling  in 
all  written  work. 

3 To  continue  developing  the 
ability  to  write  a simple  friendly 
letter. 

4 To  develop  the  ability  to 
write  a short,  simple  business 
letter. 


Minimum  Requirements 

(The  term  “minimum  requirement”  indicates  the  least  that  should  be 
accepted  as  satisfactory  at  the  end  of  the  specified  year.  Pages  17-18 
should  be  read  in  connection  with  the  statement  of  minimum  requirements 
for  this  grade.) 


46 


1 A spoken  paragraph  of  six 
well-constructed  sentences  on  a 
familiar  topic,  given  without 
error.  The  sentences  should  be 
arranged  in  logical  order  and 
the  whole  should  show  a definite 
beginning,  middle  and  end. 

2 The  recitation  from  mem- 
ory, with  clear,  distinct  tones  and 
intelligent  expression,  of  any 
two  selections  of  moderate  length 
memorized  during  the  year. 

Sources  of  material ; 

See  preceding  years 
Good  citizenship  [See  the  outline  of  “The  Good  American”  as 
given  in  The  Children’s  Code  of  Morals  by  Hutchins] 

Moral  and  physical  courage 

Literature,  history,  geography,  nature  study,  physiology 
Descriptions  of  pictures,  persons,  objects 

Explanations  of  processes  in  manual  training,  domestic  science, 
gardening 

Reports  of  lectures,  concerts,  good  moving  pictures 

Humorous  anecdotes 

Current  events 

Original  stories  and  poems 

Dramatizations  based  on  history,  literature,  imaginary  events 
Biographies  (“My  Favorite  Hero”) 

Arguments 

Model  letters  and  paragraphs 

Oral  Composition  — First  Half  Year 
In  this  grade  as  in  the  fourth,  there  should  be  in  addition  to  other 
oral  expression,  one  period  given  weekly  to  formal  oral  work.  In 
this  period  the  pupil  should  be  required  to  speak  at  some  length  with 
the  idea  of  conveying  some  message  to  his  classmates.  Such  exer- 
cises may  take  the  form  of  personal  experiences,  anecdotes,  current 
events,  explanations  of  processes  used  in  manual  training  or  else- 
where, topical  recitations  in  history  or  geography,  etc.  These 
should  be  of  such  length  that  judgment  can  be  passed  upon  their 
form,  content  and  effectiveness.  Such  work  should  be  assigned  and 


1 The  writing  without  error 
of  six  well-constructed  sentences 
arranged  in  paragraph  form. 
The  sentences  should  be  in  logi- 
cal order  and  the  whole  should 
show  a definite  beginning,  mid- 
dle and  end. 

2 The  writing  without  error 
of  a short,  simple,  friendly  or 
business  letter. 


47 


prepared  in  advance.  The  recitation  should,  when  the  nature  of  the 
assignment  makes  it  possible,  follow  a brief  suggestive  outline  pro- 
vided by  the  teacher  or  developed  from  the  class.  The  same  outline 
may  be  used  for  the  written  discussion  of  the  topic.  When  such  an 
assignment  as  this  specific  one  is  made,  children  may  sometimes  be 
given  a variety  of  pictures  from  which  to  choose.  This  will  avoid 
monotony  in  the  oral  exercise. 

The  class  of  topics  selected  for  the  fifth  year  should  not  be  con- 
fined exclusively  to  those  which,  in  content,  fall  entirely  within  the 
child’s  experience.  Some  topics  should  be  chosen  which  will  neces- 
sitate investigation  in  books  or  elsewhere,  and  some  must,  of  neces- 
sity, be  developed  by  the  teacher  alone. 

Children  at  this  period  of  advancement  are  developing  an  interest 
in  adventure  and  in  heroism.  The  stories  of  heroes  will  be  found 
useful  for  reproduction  exercises  and  as  a stimulus  to  effort  in  right 
lines  of  thought  and  action. 

Unceasing  attention  should  be  paid  to  good  usage.  There  should 
be  careful  application  of  all  correct  language  forms  taught  in  lower 
grades,  and  faithful  incidental  correction  of  language  errors  in  all 
classes.  Drill  should  be  given  in  the  use  of  useful  idiomatic  forms 
of  expression.  Corrective  work  must  be  accomplished  by  drill ; the 
teacher  is  not  expected  to  give  detailed  reasons  or  to  base  use  upon 
a knowledge  of  technical  grammar.  Perception  cards,  devised  by 
the  teacher,  may  be  used  as  one  device  for  the  rapid  repetition  of 
the  correct  form  in  sentences. 

The  daily  vocal  exercises  should  be  continued  with  constant 
emphasis  upon  correct  breathing.  Emphasize  the  importance  of 
opening  the  mouth  well  in  speaking.  This  and  humming  evenly 
(“  m-m-m”)  with  the  lips  lightly  closed  will  do  much  to  correct 
so-called  nasal  tones. 

Memorizing  and  dramatization  should  not  accompany  language 
lessons  solely,  but  should  frequently  be  a part  of  the  work  in 
reading  or  literature. 

Written  Composition  — First  Half  Year 

There  should  be  a conscious  effort  on  the  part  of  the  pupil  in  this 
year  to  secure  in  composition  a definite  beginning,  middle  and  end. 

An  increase  in  the  use  of  proper  connectives  should  be  encouraged, 
but  the  short  sentence  should  still  be  the  usual  unit  of  expression. 
A child  with  marked  ability  in  the  use  of  English  may  use  complex 
and  compound  sentences  and  should  be  encouraged,  but  the  majority 


48 


of  children  can  not  attempt  many  long  sentences  with  safety.  Fail- 
ure to  recognize  the  beginning  and  end  of  a sentence  should  be 
regarded  as  a very  serious  error  in  the  fifth  year. 

Drill  in  simple  paragraphing  should  be  continued  (see  suggestions 
in  introduction).  There  should  be  blackboard  paragraphs,  dictated 
by  pupils  and  copied,  and  selection  of  topics  from  paragraphs  in 
literature.  Pupils  may  write  short  compositions  in  reproduction, 
two  or  three  paragraphs  in  length.  These  should  follow  careful 
oral  preparation  and  the  pupil  should  be  guided  in  paragraphing  his 
exercise  by  an  outline  developed  from  the  class.  The  outline  should 
be  simple.  It  need  not  have  more  than  two  or  three  main  topics 
and  two  or  three  subtopics.  (See  types  of  composition  for  sixth 
year.)  The  entire  composition  need  not  be  written  at  one  time. 

The  topics  assigned  for  inventive  themes  should  be  so  limited  as 
not  to  demand  more  than  one  paragraph.  Some  children  will  apply 
what  they  have  learned  in  reproduction  lessons  and  will  develop  an 
assigned  theme  into  two  or  more  correct  paragraphs.  This  should 
be  permitted  and  commended  but  should  not  be  required. 

Letter  writing  should  be  continued.  Subjects  should  be  selected 
from  the  experiences  of  the  children.  Absolutely  correct  letter  form 
should  be  required  and  absolutely  correct  paper  headings  should 
appear  upon  all  papers. 

Exercises  in  copying,  dictation  and  writing  from  memory  should 
be  continued.  Pupils  should  be  trained  to  correct  and  revise  their 
own  themes  before  handing  them  in  (see  introduction). 

Technicalities : 

1 Arrangement 

An  outline  with  topics  and  subtopics.  The  following 
method  is  recommended.  Only  two  headings  should 
be  used  in  fifth  grade. 

I 

A 

i 

a 

2 Language 

a Capitals 

Religious  denominations 
b Punctuation 
Review 

Place  quotation  marks  about  the  title  of  a book, 
magazine  or  literary  selection  when  it  is  included 
in  a sentence. 


49 


c Abbreviations 

Sec.,  Treas.,  A.  M.,  P.  M.,  M.  D.,  D.  D.,  P,  S„ 
Prof.,  and  any  others  needed  in  this  grade. 

3 Use  of  dictionary  and  reference  books 

a Review  of  previous  work  with  dictionary 
b Arrangement  in  alphabetic  order  of  words  having  the 
first  two  or  three  letters  alike 
c How  to  use  an  index 

Oral  Composition  — Second  Half  Year 

See  first  half  year. 

There  may  be  begun  in  this  half  year  some  simple,  informal  work 
in  argument  based  upon  a topic  of  actual  interest ; as,  “ Why  we 
should  take  better  care  of  the  school  property,”  or  upon  invention, 
as,  “A  captive  meadow  lark  tells  why  it  should  be  set  free.” 

Topic  sentences  such  as  the  following  may  be  expanded  into  oral 
paragraphs : 

I found  a pocketbook  on  the  street  this  morning. 

My  dog  is  very  intelligent. 

On  Hallowe’en,  I had  an  exciting  experience. 

My  favorite  hero  is . 

Later,  these  paragraphs  may  be  written,  though  this  need  not  be 
done  invariably. 

In  dramatization  the  pupils  may  act  out  plays  they  have  them- 
selves planned.  Pupils  working  with  the  teacher  will  sometimes 
evolve  a very  good  little  play,  based  upon  some  topic  in  history  or 
literature. 

Instruction  should  be  given  in  the  proper  and  courteous  use  of 
the  telephone. 

Written  Composition  — Second  Half  Year 

Continue  work  of  the  first  half  year. 

The  business  letter  may  now  be  taught.  The  same  method  should 
be  used  as  in  teaching  the  friendly  letter  (see  fourth  year).  Letters 
with  simple  subject  matter  should  be  chosen;  as,  letters  subscribing 
for  a periodical  or  ordering  some  article  advertised  in  a catalog. 

Technicalities : 

1 Arrangement 

Parts  of  a business  letter 

2 Language 

a Capitals 

Political  parties 


50 


b Punctuation 

(1)  Colon  after  salutation  of  a business  letter 

(2)  Comma  in  a series 
c Abbreviations 

Any  that  are  needed 
3 Dictionary  drill  continued 

Types  of  Compositions 

These  type  compositions  are  merely  illustrative.  They  are  not 
designed  to  be  used  in  the  classroom. 

Oral 

Truthful  Elinor 

My  little  sister  likes  to  answer  the  telephone.  One  day  when 
it  rang  she  climbed  on  a chair  and  took  down  the  receiver.  The 
man  said,  “ Is  this  Mr  Smith’s  residence?”  Elinor  said,  “No,  he 
rents  it.” 

My  Garden 

I have  a fine  garden  this  year.  Father  had  it  plowed  for  me. 
I have  planted  radishes,  lettuce,  peas,  string  beans  and  tomatoes. 
We  have  had  lettuce  and  radishes  from  it.  The  peas  are  almost 
ready.  We  are  going  to  have  them  for  dinner  on  Sunday. 

My  Favorite  Picture 

In  our  study  hall  there  is  a large  picture  of  “ Sir  Galahad  ” 
painted  by  Watts,  an  English  artist.  The  principal  figure  is  Sir 
Galahad,  a young  knight  in  armor.  He  is  standing  by  his  horse’s 
head.  He  is  looking  down  with  a thoughtful  expression.  The 
background  is  a thicket  or  wood.  The  time  must  be  near  nightfall, 
as  the  picture  is  rather  dark  except  for  Sir  Galahad’s  face. 

Written 

A Business  Letter 

89  Ridgeview  Av. 

White  Plains,  N.  Y. 
October  25,  1918 

The  Early  Co. 

33  East  Grove  St. 

New  York  City,  N.  Y. 

Gentlemen : 

You  will  find  inclosed  a postal  money  order  for  three  dollars  ($3), 
for  which  please  send  me  Young  Folks  for  one  year  beginning  with 
the  November  number. 

Yours  truly 

(Miss)  Mary  P.  Snow 


51 


A Letter  from  My  Pet  Cat 

27  Green  Street 

Hillsdale,  New  York 
December  28,  1917 

Dear  Emily: 

Do  come  home  as  soon  as  possible.  I am  very  unhappy.  Last 
night  no  one  remembered  to  let  me  into  the  cellar  and  I had  to 
sleep  under  the  piazza.  I nearly  froze  my  paws.  My  plate  has  not 
been  washed  since  you  went  away.  Please  come  home.  I am  sure 
I need  you  more  than  your  aunt  does. 

Your  loving  cat 
Tiger 

Why  I Am  Learning  to  Cook 

One  day  when  mother  was  away  I got  dinner.  I thought  it  would 
be  easy  but  it  wasn’t.  We  had  canned  soup,  cold  meat,  potatoes, 
bread  and  butter,  pie  and  coffee.  Mother  made  the  pie  before  she 
went  away.  I cut  my  finger  on  the  soup  can  and  burned  the 
potatoes.  Now  mother  is  teaching  me  to  cook. 

Corrective  English  — Grade  5 

Drill  upon  the  forms 


break 

broke 

have  broken 

choose 

chose 

have  chosen 

throw 

threw 

have  thrown 

hurt 

hurt 

have  hurt 

Drill  upon  rather , not  kind  of,  kinay,  sort  of;  beside,  not  side  of; 
would  have  gone,  not  would  of  gone. 

Distinguish  between 
have  and  got 
among  and  between 
lay  and  lie 
funny  and  strange 
much  and  lots 
their  and  there 
guess  and  think 
like  and  love 
an  and  a 
its  and  it’s 

Drill  upon  the  correct  use  of  cupfuls  arid  cupsful. 

Drill  upon  v.he  correct  use  of  real  and  7 rery. 


52 


Drill  upon  the  elimination  of  now  at  the  beginning  of  a sentence. 

Drill  upon  the  use  of  the  pronoun  after  than  — “ taller  than  I.” 

Drill  upon  the  correction  of  the  following: 

He  broke  my  pencil  on  me. 

That  is  all  the  far  they  went. 

Bring  for  take 

Drill  upon  the  pronunciation  of  forehead,  faucet,  government , 
hoist , poem,  your , usually,  introduce,  history. 

Sixth  Y ear 

The  introductory  sections  on  the  teaching  of  composition  and 
corrective  English  (page  4-19)  in  so  far  as  they  relate  to  the  work 
of  this  grade,  are  to  be  considered  a part  of  the  course  of  study  for 
this  year.  Teachers  should  familiarize  themselves  with  the  outlines 
for  preceding  grades. 


I  To  encourage  pupils  to  talk 
freely  on  account  of  genuine 
interest,  but  always  with  a defi- 
nite and  clearly  formed  plan  in 
the  mind  of  the  teacher  for  im- 
proving their  use  of  language. 

2 To  require  equally  good 
English  in  all  classes. 

3 To  develop  distinct  articu- 
lation, a pleasing  tone,  correct 
posture  and  freedom  from  self- 
consciousness. 

4 To  require  complete  state- 
ments. 

5 To  eliminate  the  errors  in 
speech  assigned  for  correction 
in  this  year  and  to  emphasize  the 
correct  forms  drilled  upon  in 
preceding  years. 

6 To  strengthen  the  sentence 
sense  and  discourage  the  super- 
fluous use  of  and,  then  and  so, 
but  with  a definite  effort  to 
secure  proper  transition  as  a 
means  of  increasing  fluency. 


Written 

1 To  teach  the  technicalities 
assigned  for  this  year  and  review 
those  taught  in  preceding  years. 

2 To  insist  upon  neatness, 
good  arrangement,  good  pen- 
manship and  accurate  spelling 
in  all  written  work. 

3 To  secure  the  establishment 
of  the  sentence  sense  so  that 
there  may  be  neither  “ run  on  ” 
sentences  nor  fragments  written 
as  whole  sentences. 

4 To  continue  practice  in 
writing  short  familiar  and  busi- 
ness letters. 

5 To  require  the  frequent 
writing  of  short  compositions 
based  upon  familiar  and  care- 
fully limited  topics. 


53 


Oral  Written 

7 To  continue  emphasizing  or- 
derly arrangement  of  sentence 
material  with  much  attention  to 
developing  ability  to  stick  to  the 
point  and  to  show  a definite  be- 
ginning, middle  and  end. 

8 To  cultivate  the  desire  to 
speak  well. 

Minimum  Requirements 

(The  term  “ minimum  requirement  ” indicates  the  least  that  should  be 
accepted  as  satisfactory  at  the  end  of  the  specified  year.  Pages  17-18 
should  be  read  in  connection  with  the  statement  of  minimum  requirements 
for  this  grade.) 


1 Six  or  seven  well-con- 
structed sentences  on  a familiar 
topic,  given  absolutely  without 
error,  arranged  in  logical  order 
and  showing  as  a unit  a definite 
beginning,  middle  and  end. 

2 The  recitation  from  memory, 
with  clear,  distinct  tones  and  in- 
telligent expression,  of  any  two 
selections  of  moderate  length 
memorized  during  the  year. 


Sources  of  material: 

See  Fifth  Year. 

Good  citizenship 

Honor,  obedience,  service 
Book  reviews 


1 Six  or  seven  well-con- 
structed sentences,  grouped  in 
paragraphs  if  the  nature  of  the 
subject  requires,  and  written 
without  error,  the  whole  show- 
ing as  a unit  a definite  beginning, 
middle  and  end. 

The  paragraph  sense,  as  is  in- 
dicated elsewhere,  will  have  been 
developed  gradually  all  through 
the  oral  and  written  course,  but 
heretofore  pupils  will  not,  as  a 
minimum  requirement,  have  been 
asked  to  write  more  than  one 
paragraph. 

2 A short  friendly  or  business 
letter,  written  and  addressed 
without  error. 


Oral  Composition  — First  Half  Year 
See  fifth  year. 

Formal  talks  once  a week  should  be  continued.  In  informal  talks, 
the  topics  should  not  be  selected  solely  with  the  aim  of  a lesson  in 


54 


conversation.  When  subject  matter  requires  preparation  for  oral 
or  written  work,  the  preparation  may  partake  of  the  nature  of 
conversation.  Class  discussion  of  a topic  followed  by  investigation, 
report  of  pupils’  investigation,  and  further  class  discussion,  all 
belong  under  the  head  of  oral  expression.  Stories  should  still  be 
used  for  reproduction,  but  there  must  be  much  original  work  so  that 
the  child  may  learn  to  express  his  own  thoughts. 

As  part  of  the  formal  work,  book  reviews  may  be  given,  with  the 
idea  of  interesting  the  class  in  the  books  reviewed.  They  must  be 
very  simple  and  should  follow  some  such  outline  as  the  following: 

1 Name  of  book  and  name  of  author 

2 Time  and  place  of  events 

3 Main  thought  of  the  book 

4 Principal  characters 

5 Speaker’s  opinion  of  the  book 

(For  illustration,  see  type  composition  on  page  57). 

To  train  pupils  to  accurate  attention,  short  ar  deles  should  be  read 
once  only  and  the  pupils  required  to  reproduce  them. 

Pupils  should  be  given  an  opportunity  for  invention.  In  this 
connection,  the  following  devices  may  be  used : 

1 Teacher  may  write  topics  upon  the  board  and  children  tell 
stories  suggested  by  any  one  of  the  topics ; as,  an  aeroplane,  a 
deserted  house,  a lonely  road,  without  money. 

2 Topic  sentences  may  be  developed  into  paragraph;  as,  I shall 
always  remember  the  first  time  I went  to  church ; I once  thought 
I saw  a ghost ; A loud  scream  came  from  the  mill  pond. 

3 Descriptions  may  be  given  in  the  Who's  who  game,  when  the 
person  described  must  be  guessed  by  the  speaker’s  classmates.  The 
game  should  be  conducted  in  such  a way  as  to  avoid  unpleasant 
personalities. 


Written  Composition  — First  Half  Year 
In  this  year  the  establishment  of  the  sentence  sense  should  be 
completed.  No  pupil  should  be  considered  prepared  in  English  for 
the  seventh  grade  who  frequently  writes  part  of  a sentence  as  a 
whole,  or  who  writes  “ run-on  ” sentences  with  the  material  of 
several  sentences  weakly  held  together.  If  a class  is,  for  any  reason, 
weak  in  this  subject  there  should  be  constant  blackboard  drill  and 


55 


such  other  drill  as  was  suggested  in  the  fourth  year  course,  to  cure 
the  weakness. 

If  the  class  has  the  sentence  sense  well  developed  there  should  be 
an  effort  to  secure  some  variety  of  sentence  structure,  as  by  the 
use  of  exclamatory  sentences  and  questions.  The  use  of  a greater 
variety  of  connectives  and  transition  words  may  be  encouraged. 

The  study  of  the  paragraph  as  suggested  in  the  fourth  and  fifth 
grades  should  be  continued.  A pupil’s  theme  which  shows  the 
qualities  of  a good  paragraph  may  well  be  read  to  the  class  and 
shown  as  an  example.  The  cooperative  outline  (see  introduction 
and  instructions  in  the  fifth  year  course)  used  in  the  oral  reproduc- 
tion should  be  the  pupil’s  guide  in  written  reproduction.  The  pupil 
may  sometimes  be  required  to  copy  the  outline  to  help  him  learn  its 
form,  but  this  should  not  be  done  invariably  if  the  outline  can  be 
left  upon  the  blackboard.  New  or  difficult  words  should  be  placed 
upon  the  blackboard  to  aid  the  writers.  Words  and  phrases  of  the 
original  story  may  be  used  by  the  pupils  but  not,  as  a rule,  entire 
sentences.  One  such  reproduction  will  require  several  periods. 

Topics  assigned  for  written  invention  should  be  so  limited  as  to 
require  only  a short  piece  of  writing.  Such  writing  should,  as  a 
rule,  follow  oral  preparation  designed  to  provide  background  and  to 
stimulate  ideas  and  improve  their  expression. 

Letter  writing  should  be  continued.  The  business  letter  should 
be  emphasized  in  this  grade.  Letters  should  be  folded  and  envelops 
addressed. 

Pupils  should  continue  the  habit  of  looking  over  their  papers  first 
for  one  type  of  error,  then  for  another,  and  should  correct  these 
errors  before  handing  in  their  papers. 

In  this  as  in  all  grades  above  the  first,  stress  should  be  placed 
upon  correct  spelling.  Words  misspelled  and  new  words  needed 
should  be  thoroughly  taught.  (See  page  16.) 

Continue  exercises  in  copying,  dictation  and  writing  from  memory. 

There  should  be  much  use  of  the  blackboard  in  corrective  and 
oral  exercises.  Paragraphs  may  be  written  on  the  blackboard  for 
class  observation  and  discussion.  An  occasional  unpunctuated  or 
uncapitalized  selection  should  frequently  be  written  on  the  black- 
board, so  that  pupils  may  have  practice  in  inserting  marks  or  capitals 
where  they  belong.  Each  child  who  makes  a correction  should  state 
the  rule  he  is  following. 


56 


Technicalities: 
i Language 
a Capitals 

Review  of  all  uses 
b Punctuation 

The  broken  quotation 
c Abbreviations 

Any  needed  in  connection  with  geography  or  arith- 
metic 

Those  of  common  business  usage ; as,  Messrs.,  C.  O.  D., 
O.  K.,  f.  o.  b.,  etc.,  inst.,  ult.,  do. 

Oral  Composition  — Second  Half  Year 

See  first  half  year. 

More  and  more  emphasis  should  be  placed  upon  the  importance 
of  organizing  thought  into  appropriate  form  for  oral  composition. 
Reading  lessons  should  be  examined  to  determine  the  necessity  and 
appropriateness  of  paragraphing.  Topic  sentences  should  be 
expanded  into  paragraphs  orally  and  in  writing.  All  this  drill  should 
tend  to  influence  the  pupil  to  think  and  recite  in  larger  units  than 
the  single  sentence,  but  with  an  unfailing  regard  for  the  sentence 
unit. 

In  this  as  in  all  grades,  daily  vocal  drill  and  daily  drill  in  the 
correction  of  common  speech  errors  should  be  given. 

There  should  be  frequent  recitation  before  the  class  of  selections 
memorized.  The  pupils  should  show,  as  they  advance  in  oral  work, 
steady  improvement  in  voice,  posture  and  manner.  Insist  upon 
children’s  speaking  distinctly  enough  to  be  heard  unless  some  actual 
physical  ailment  prevents.  Do  not  repeat  pupils’  statements.  Expect 
them  to  make  the  rest  of  the  class  hear.  Occasionally  during  an 
oral  exercise  tell  the  pupils  that  they  may  rise  quietly  when  they  do 
not  understand  the  speaker  and  remain  standing  until  he  has  made 
them  hear.  The  teacher  should  listen  to  an  oral  exercise  from  the 
back  of  the  room,  and  she,  too,  if  she  is  seated,  may  rise  if  she 
can  not  understand  what  is  said.  To  aid  in  self-development  the 
class  may  be  formed  into  a “ Better  Speech  Club  ” (see  seventh  year 
outline). 


Written  Composition  — Second  Half  Year 
The  work  of  the  first  half  should  be  continued  with  some  increase 
in  difficulty  of  requirement. 


57 


Pupils  should  become  steadily  more  intelligently  critical  of  their 
own  work  and  more  helpfully  critical  of  that  of  others.  Good  writ- 
ten exercises  should  be  read  to  the  class  and  displayed  as  models. 

Technicalities : 

1 Arrangement 

Continue  outlining 

2 Language 

a Capitals 
Review 
b Punctuation 
Review 

c Abbreviations 

Any  that  are  needed 

3 Dictionary  work 

a Guide  words*  at  top  of  dictionary  page 
b The  guide  to  pronunciation  — diacritical  key 

Types  of  Compositions 

These  type  compositions  are  merely  illustrative.  They  are  not 
designed  to  be  used  in  any  way  in  the  classroom. 

Oral 

A Hard  Lesson 

When  I was  in  the  third  grade  I cut  the  top  of  my  desk.  I had 
to  stay  after  school  every  night  till  I had  sandpapered  the  desk  all 
off  smooth  again.  It  took  me  a week.  The  janitor  helped  me  the 
last  night.  He  told  me  not  to  tell  Miss  Allan,  because  she  wanted 
me  to  do  it  all  myself.  He  said  he  was  tired  of  seeing  me  around. 
I have  never  cut  any  desks  since  then. 

Mother’s  Rest  Day 

One  day  in  vacation  my  mother  was  very  tired.  She  said  she 
wished  she  could  be  quiet  all  day.  We  told  her  we  would  take  some- 
thing to  eat  and  live  in  our  wigwam  till  supper  time.  We  did  it 
and  had  lots  of  fun.  We  took  bread  and  butter,  cold  meat,  cookies 
and  apple  sauce  with  us.  Bessie  stepped  in  the  apple  sauce,  by 
mistake,  so  we  didn’t  eat  that.  We  painted  our  faces  with  wild 
cherries  and  went  barefoot.  Mother  was  all  rested  when  we  went 
home  for  supper. 

A Good  Story 

If  you  haven’t  read  Over  the  Top  by  Arthur  Guy  Empey,  you 
will  enjoy  doing  so.  It  is  the  true  story  of  a young  American  who 


58 


joined  the  British  army  before  the  United  States  had  entered  the 
war.  He  fought  in  the  trenches  for  some  time  and  was  finally 
wounded  while  going  “ over  the  top.”  He  was  not  able  to  go  back 
into  the  war,  but  has  done  good  work  since  as  a writer  and  lecturer. 
I never  really  understood  how  the  trenches  were  arranged  until 
I read  his  book.  The  book  is  not  sad,  for  the  author  saw  the  funny 
side  whenever  there  was  one  to  see.  In  some  places  in  the  book  the 
English  isn’t  very  good,  but  the  story  is  interesting  all  the  way 
through. 

Written 

The  Paper  Race 

We  bought  our  victrola  for  the  school  by  collecting  newspapers 
and  magazines  and  selling  them.  We  needed  to  collect  a great  deal, 
so  each  grade  tried  to  beat  the  others.  The  sixth  grade  was  third 
from  the  head  the  last  day  of  the  collection.  That  morning  Mr  Quen- 
tin asked  me  to  go  up  into  the  loft  in  his  barn  to  get  a sickle.  I 
found  stacks  and  stacks  of  papers  and  magazines  there.  I asked 
if  I might  have  them.  Mr  Quentin  thought  a while  and  then  gave 
them  to  me.  I felt  very  proud  when  the  sixth  grade  came  out 
ahead. 

A Business  Letter 

12  Main  Street 
Essex,  Conn. 

June  i,  1918 

Messrs  R.  P.  Cameron  & Co. 

525  Nassau  Street 
New  York  City 

Gentlemen : 

You  will  find  inclosed  a check  for  five  dollars  and  twenty-five 
cents  ($5.25),  for  which  kindly  send  me  the  following  articles: 

1 doz.  tennis  balls,  No.  QOH 
1 Racket  Press,  No.  RGR 

Yours  truly 
John  S.  Leigh 

Reproduction  from  outline 

The  Story  of  Clytie 

i Clytie  and  her  home  in  the  sea. 
a She  was  a sea  nymph. 
b She  rode  in  a sea  shell. 
c Her  horses  were  turtles. 


59 


2 Clytie’s  trips  to  the  shore. 

a She  saw  the  Sun  King. 
b She  watched  him  cross  the  sky. 
c She  came  back  every  day  to  watch  him. 

3 The  change  in  Clytie. 

a Her  feet  became  roots. 
b Her  body  became  a stem  with  leaves. 
c Her  face  became  a flower. 

The  Story  of  Clytie 

Clytie  was  a lovely  sea  nymph  who  lived  in  a cave  deep  down  in 
the  sea.  She  rode  through  the  ocean  in  a sea  shell  chariot.  Her 
horses  were  two  strong  turtles. 

One  day  the  turtles  drew  her  to  land.  She  stood  on  the  shore  and 
saw  the  Sun  King  go  across  the  sky  in  his  golden  chariot.  She 
watched  him  till  he  went  down  in  the  west.  He  seemed  so  wonderful 
that  Clytie  came  back  every  day  to  watch  him. 

One  d^y,  as  she  stood  on  the  shore  looking  at  the  Sun  King  her 
feet  changed  to  roots.  Her  body  changed  to  a stem  with  green 
leaves.  Her  face  changed  to  a flower  with  golden  petals.  People 
named  her  the  Sun  Flower  She  still  watches  the  Sun  from  morn- 
ing to  night  of  every  bright  day  in  summer. 

Corrective  English  — Grade  6 
Drill  upon  the  forms 

draw  drew  have  drawn 

eat  ate  have  eaten 

If  I were 
If  he  were 
Drill  upon 

kind  of  instead  of  kind  of  a 
that  (or  this ) kind,  not  those  (or  these)  kind 
back  of,  or  behind,  instead  of  in  back  of 
almost  instead  of  most 
have  to,  not  haf  to;  must  have,  not  must  of 
Distinguish  between 
Stood  and  remained 
In  and  into 
Than  and  then 
Empty  and  spill 
Like  and  as 


GO 


Borrow  and  lend 
Let  and  leave 

Drill  upon  the  correction  of 
alongside  for  beside 
elevated  up  for  elevated 
brother-in-law  for  brothers-in-law 

Drill  upon  the  correct  forms  for  the  following: 

Misplacing  of  only 

Beginning  a sentence  with  Why 

New  beginners 

Free  pass 

I would  of  known 

He  did  not  go  yet 

Drill  upon  pronunciation  of  partner,  chocolate,  surprise,  pumpkin, 
chestnut,  radish. 

Grammar 

The  value  of  formal  grammar  in  the  elementary  grades  depends 
almost  wholly  upon  the  degree  to  which  it  aids  in  the  teaching  of 
oral  and  written  composition  and  in  the  interpretation  (under- 
standing) of  literature.  Grammatical  terminology  is  to  be  taught, 
only  as  a help  in  the  teaching  of  composition;  syntax,  because  of  its 
bearing  on  correctness  of  expression. 

One  aim,  in  the  composition  work  outlined  for  the  previous  years 
of  this  course,  has  been  to  develop  in  the  pupil  an  ability  to  recognize 
sentences,  and  to  aid  him  in  acquiring  a sentence  sense.  In  the  sixth 
year,  as  a beginning  of  the  study  of  formal  grammar,  the  pupil’s 
analytic  perception  of  the  sentence  should  be  clearly  developed.  He 
should  now  become  expert  in  the  recognition  of  sentences,  and 
should  be  able  to  point  out,  without  difficulty,  the  subjects  and 
predicates  of  most  sentences. 

While  there  should  be  no  detailed  study  of  the  parts  of  speech, 
the  pupil  should  be  taught  to  see  or  understand  that  all  words  have 
certain  and  distinct  uses  in  sentences  and  may  be  classified  in  accord- 
ance with  such  uses.  The  ability  to  recognize  the  different  parts 
of  speech  is  of  more  importance  than  a knowledge  of  set  definitions ; 
but  the  more  common  grammatical  terms  should  be  used  by  the 
teacher,  as  a familiarity  with  these  terms  will  lead  to  greater  clear- 
ness of  thinking  and  more  accurate  expression.  It  is  recommended 
that  such  grammatical  terms  shall  not  be  employed  until  their  mean- 
ing has  been  acquired  by  the  pupils  by  inductive  teaching. 


61 


First  Half  Year 

1 The  simple  sentence 

a How  distinguished  from  a mere  collection  of  words 

Drill  in  distinguishing  between  word  groups  that  are  sen- 
tences and  those  that  are  not  sentences 
b The  essential  part's  of  the  sentence:  (i)  the  subject,  (2)  the 
predicate 

c The  simple  subject  and  the  simple  predicate 
d Drill  in  the  analysis  of  easy  simple  sentences.  Use  sentences 
in  the  inverted  order  as  well  as  in  the  direct  order 

2 The  noun 

a Proper 
b Common 

3 Uses  of  the  noun 

a Simple  subject 
b Vocative 

Note:  Emphasize  the  fact  that  the  vocative  (direct  address)  is  independent 
and  not  a part  of  either  subject  or  predicate. 

4 The  pronoun  and  its  antecedent 

Note:  In  this  grade  no  attention  should  be  given  to  the  modifications  or 
inflections  of  any  of  the  parts  of  speech. 

5 The  verb  and  the  verb  phrase 

Note:  It  is  suggested  that  in  the  beginning  not  more  than  one  auxiliary 
word  be  used  and  the  parts  of  the  verb  be  not  separated. 

Second  Half  Year 

1 The  adjective 

Note:  The  spelling  of  the  possessive  may  be  reviewed  and  its  use  as  an 
adjective  referred  to. 

2 The  adverb 

3 The  prepositional  phrase  and  the  preposition.  The  prepositional 

phrase  used  as 
a An  adjective 
b An  adverb 

Drill  upon  the  substitution  of  adjective  phrases  for  adjectives 
and  adverbial  phrases  for  adverbs  and  vice  versa. 

4 The  conjunction  taught  in  connection  with 

a The  compound  subject 
b The  compound  predicate 

Drill  upon  the  use  of  the  conjunction  as  a connective  for  adjec- 
tives, adverbs  and  phrases. 


62 


5 The  interjection 

Note:  If  the  teacher  desires,  the  classification  of  sentences  according  to 
use  may  be  taken  up.  The  pupils  may  be  expected  to  be  somewhat  familiar 
with  this  classification  from  their  work  in  composition.  Call  attention  to 
the  relation  existing  between  the  interjection  and  the  exclamatory  sentence. 

6 The  analysis  of  easy  sentences  containing  compound  subjects  or 

compound  predicates.  Use  only  sentences  containing  a limited 
number  of  modifiers.  Do  not  use  sentences  containing  more 
than  two  phrases 

7 Give  pupils  practice  in  building  sentences  from  each  day’s  work 


63 


LITERATURE  — GRADES  i TO  6 

Children  should  very  early  in  life  be  introduced  to  the  study  of 
good  literature  through  stories  and  poems  suited  to  their  age.  Upon 
entering  school  many  have  already  gained  a knowledge  of  some 
bits  of  verse,  rhymes  and  simple  stories.  These  they  have  enjoyed 
and  they  are  therefore  anxious  to  add  to  their  store.  A point  of 
contact  of  home  with  school  life  is  readily  found  in  these  experi- 
ences. Every  year  the  child  should  increase  his  enjoyment  of  both 
verse  and  story  through  wider  association  with  it  and  should 
receive  valuable  additions  to  his  growing  stock  of  literary  ideas. 

The  aim  of  all  teachers  should  be  primarily  to  awaken  in  every 
child  a love  for  suitable  literature  and  stimulate  his  appreciation  of 
it  by  wise  suggestion.  Each  teacher  should  do  her  part  to  widen 
the  experience  of  every  child  in  her  grade  with  the  best  in  literature 
within  his  understanding.  Through  good  stories  handed  down 
from  countless  generations,  through  the  reading  and  memorizing  of 
many  beautiful  poems,  it  is  possible  for  every  teacher  to  give  the 
children  in  her  care  what  is  their  birthright  from  the  world’s  rich 
inheritance  of  good  literature. 

The  literature  presented  to  children  in  the  elementary  schools 
should  be  wisely  chosen  from  the  best  writers.  In  order  to  accom- 
plish the  great  aim  in  teaching  literature  which  centers  in  awaken- 
ing the  imagination  of  the  child  to  a fuller  appreciation  of  the 
beauties  in  Nature  and  a clearer  idea  of  the  meaning  of  the  great 
lessons  of  life  the  literature  must  be  of  good  literary  quality,  must 
be  ethically  sound,  must  be  suited  to  the  child’s  interests  in  some 
measure,  and  must  be  varied  in  scope.  Through  variety  and  broad 
scope  of  the  literature  selected  it  is  possible  to  widen  the  avenues 
of  approach  to  rich  fields  where  the  child  may  gain  a breadth  of 
experience  which  will  give  to  him  higher  standards  of  living  and 
wiser  principles  of  action. 

Story-telling.  G.  Stanley  Hall  says,  “ Of  all  the  things  that  a 
teacher  should  know  how  to  do,  the  most  important,  without  any 
exception,  is  to  be  able  to  tell  a story.” 

Because  of  the  great  abundance  of  story-telling  material  and 
large  number  of  story  books  now  on  the  market,  the  matter  of  the 
selection  of  the  best  stories  to  tell  to  children  of  varying  ages  is 
made  more  difficult  and  in  order  to  maintain  a uniform  high  degree 
of  suitability  and  excellence  of  story-telling  material,  the  sug- 
gestive story  list  by  grades  has  been  found  advisable.  Through  the 


64 


use  of  the  story  list  for  all  grades  it  is  possible  for  teachers  to  make 
a wiser  selection  of  the  stories  which  they  tell.  It  enables  the 
teacher  to  know  the  story  experience  of  each  new  class  and  thus  to 
avoid  waste  in  story-telling  through  too  great  repetition  of  a few 
stories.  She  has  plenty  of  fresh,  untouched  and  interesting 
material  for  presentation  in  her  own  class. 

In  any  grade  it  is  a good  plan  to  review  some  of  the  reading  of 
the  previous  grades.  Every  teacher  should  acquaint  herself  as  far 
as  possible  with  the  reading  for  all  grades  and  should  be  able  to 
supplement  her  list  with  other  literature  of  good  quality,  provided 
it  does  not  appear  on  any  of  the  lists  of  the  following  grades. 

In  preparing  this  list,  a careful  study  of  story  material  has  been 
made.  Only  stories  of  some  merit  have  been  placed  on  it.  Some 
have  been  selected  because  of  the  stimulating  character  of  content; 
some  because  they  belong  to  the  child  as  a part  of  his  race  inheri- 
tance; others  because  of  the  beauty  of  the  language  in  which  they 
are  written;  many  in  the  lower  grades  especially,  because  the)T 
picture  familiar  scenes  of  child  life  and  so  furnish  interesting 
material  for  exercises  in  oral  language  work.  Some  have  been 
selected  because  of  their  dramatic  possibilities  and  a few  because 
of  their  appeal  to  humor,  a native  instinct  of  the  child  which  should 
be  encouraged  and  developed. 

The  list  contains  some  stories  from  all  fields,  nature,  folk  lore, 
fairy  lore,  history  and  fiction,  and  thereby  gives  the  child  their  com- 
posite value. 

The  teacher  should  keep  in  mind  that  this  list  is  only  suggestive. 
It  is  not  intended  that  all  the  stories  on  this  list  be  given,  nor  is  it 
advisable  to  give  only  these  stories. 

Methods  of  story-telling.  Every  teacher  should  be  well  pre- 
pared in  the  art  of  story-telling.  It  is  necessary  that  she  familiarize 
herself  with  the  principles  governing  the  selection  and  adaptation 
of  stories.  She  should  also  acquaint  herself  thoroughly  with  the 
best  collections  of  children’s  stories. 

Children  will  appreciate  the  story  to  whatever  degree  the  teacher 
shows  her  efficiency  in  story-telling.  It  is,  therefore,  necessary  for 
her  to  tell  her  stories  well  if  she  is  to  accomplish  her  aim  in  the 
teaching  of  literature  to  little  children. 

Some  books  that  will  help  the  teacher  to  become  a more  efficient 
story  teller  are:  Stories  and  Story  Telling,  by  E.  P.  St  John, 
Pilgrim  Press;  How  to  Tell  Stories,  by  S.  C.  Bryant,  Houghton; 


65 


The  Art  of  the  Story  Teller,  by  M.  L.  Shedlock,  D.  Appleton  & Co. ; 
Story  Telling,  by  E.  Lyman,  A.  C.  McClurg  & Co. 

One  of  the  real  problems  of  the  teacher  is  to  inspire  in  the  pupils 
a desire  to  participate  in  the  retelling  of  the  story.  The  story- 
telling exercise  should  be  a happy  one ; therefore,  the  method  should 
be  informal.  No  such  drill  in  the  retelling  of  the  stories  should  be 
given  as  is  likely  to  kill  the  spirit  of  the  exercise.  A story  should 
not  be  retold  by  the  children  until  they  are  thoroughly  familiar  with  * 
all  the  facts  of  the  story  and  are  ready  to  tell  it.  When  children 
wish  to  participate  in  the  retelling  of  the  stories  they  should  be 
allowed  to  do  so,  since  it  increases  their  enjoyment  of  the  story. 
Children  will  show  their  responsiveness  to  the  teacher’s  efforts  in 
the  story-telling  work,  by  asking  for  the  story  over  and  over  again. 
Thus  every  teacher  is  given  a test  and  should  profit  through  her 
daily  practice  in  story-telling. 

Dramatization.  The  dramatization  lesson  aims,  first,  to  make 
clearer  to  the  children  the  pictures  of  the  story  and  thus  give  them 
a clearer  comprehension  of  the  story ; second,  to  develop  the 
imaginative  powers  of  the  children ; third,  to  cultivate  a greater 
power  of  spontaneous  expression  and  help  in  the  mastery  of  self- 
consciousness  ; and,  fourth,  to  give  greater  relaxation  and  thereby 
increase  the  child’s  appreciation  of  the  story. 

All  work  in  dramatization  should  be  spontaneous  and  free.  There 
should  be  no  formal  work,  particularly  in  the  lower  grades,  unless 
for  a special  occasion.  A particular  part  should  not  be  permanently 
assigned  to  any  child.  As  many  children  as  is  practicable  should 
be  asked  to  help  in  playing  the  story.  The  materials  used  in  the 
dramatization  should  be  very  simple  in  order  to  encourage  the  use 
of  the  imaginative  powers  of  the  children  as  fully  as  possible. 
Although  the  occasional  use  of  simple  materials  may  be  a source  of 
interest  and  pleasure,  it  should  be  remembered  that  there  is  no  real 
need  of  such  aid. 

Children  should  be  encouraged  to  give  the  conversation  of  the 
story  quite  fully,  in  order  to  make  the  mental  pictures  more  vivid 
and  the  situation  more  real. 

Poetry.  In  constructing  the  part  of  the  syllabus  relating  to  poem 
work,  the  purpose  has  been  to  make  it  richly  suggestive  but  at  the 
same  time  not  so  detailed  as  to  destroy  the  originality  and  life  of  a 
teacher’s  work.  The  aim  has  been  to  give  great  variety  in  the 
poetry  study.  In  the  many  miscellaneous  poems  and  in  the  poems 
of  the  grade  poet,  a broad  field  is  opened  to  every  teacher  in  which 
3 


66 


she  may  browse  about  and  choose  what  is  best  and  most  inspiring 
for  herself  and  her  pupils.  In  no  grade  should  the  poetry  study  be 
confined  to  the  work  of  one  poet.  The  poets  studied  are  only  those 
who  hold  a significant  place  in  literature.  The  miscellaneous  list 
in  a way  limits  the  teacher  to  her  own  field  but  gives  an  opportunity 
for  variety. 

Methods  of  presenting  poetry.  It  is  well  to  read  to  the  children 
many  poems  of  the  author  and  through  the  teacher’s  presentation 
of  these  poems  interest  the  children  in  the  poet.  Later  allow  the 
children  with  the  help  of  the  teacher  to  choose  the  poems  to  be  read 
and  studied.  Pupils  may  then  memorize  the  poems  or  parts  of 
poems  which  they  like  best.  In  general,  the  poems  to  be  memor- 
ized should  be  chosen  by  the  pupils  with  the  guidance  of  the  teacher. 

Individual  rather  than  concert  recitation  of  the  poems  memorized 
is  urged.  While  the  whole  class  should  be  held  responsible  for 
knowing  the  poems,  individual  recitations  of  the  poem  as  a whole 
or  by  suitable  units  is  advisable  since  it  makes  it  possible  for  the 
child  to  keep  the  spirit  of  the  poem  even  in  a drill  exercise. 

The  facts  of  the  author’s  life  need  not  be  memorized.  The 
teacher  should  help  her  children  to  get  an  appreciation  of  the  author 
through  the  study  of  his  poems.  She  can  well  point  out  the  thoughts 
and  ideals  through  the  study  of  the  poems  and  thereby  develop  an 
understanding  of  the  life  and  spirit  of  the  poet.  When  this  has 
been  done,  some  of  the  more  interesting  facts  of  the  author’s  life 
may  be  presented. 

Do  not  have  the  children  write  poems  from  memory  merely  for 
the  sake  of  drill  exercises  in  punctuation  and  capitalization,  nor 
should  poetry  be  used  too  frequently  as  a basis  of  written  com- 
position work. 

Valuable  suggestions  in  the  teaching  of  poems  may  be  obtained 
from  Teaching  of  English,  by  Percival  Chubb,  Macmillan;  chapter 
12,  Teaching  of  English,  by  Paul  Klapper,  Appleton;  Teaching 
Poetry  in  the  Grades,  by  G.  D.  Haliburton  and  Naomi  Smith, 
Houghton;  chapter  5,  How  to  Teach,  by  Strayer  and  Norseworthy, 
Macmillan. 

Children’s  reading.  Children  should  form  the  habit  of  library 
reading  very  early  in  their  school  life.  The  teacher  can  do  much 
in  interesting  the  children  of  her  grade  in  reading  good  books. 
The  responsibility  for  forming  the  child’s  habit  of  reading  and 
enjoying  wholesome  literature  rests  largely  with  the  teacher  in  the 
elementary  schools. 


67 


In  the  first  two  grades  many  of  the  children  have  not  yet  attained 
sufficient  skill  in  the  mechanics  of  reading  to  enjoy  silent  reading. 
They  must  therefore  get  their  appreciation  of  literature  through 
the  teacher’s  presentation  of  interesting  poems  and  stories.  An 
introduction  to  literature  and  a beginning  in  the  library  habit  can 
be  made  through  handling  books  and  looking  at  the  pictures.  Chil- 
dren who  can  read  should  of  course  be  encouraged  to  do  so. 

Careful  attention  must  be  given  to  the  selection  of  the  books  for 
the  children’s  first  reading,  in  order  to  make  certain  their  enjoy- 
ment to  the  fullest  possible  extent,  of  the  literature  read.  Since  the 
primary  aim  in  this  work  is  appreciation,  it  does  not  seem  advisable 
in  any  grade  to  base  written  work  too  frequently  on  the  library 
reading.  In  all  grades  the  children  should  be  encouraged  to  read 
as  many  books  from  the  assigned  reading  list  as  is  possible.  A 
minimum  of  three  books  selected  from  the  list  of  books  assigned 
for  the  children’s  reading  for  the  grade  in  the  literature  section, 
should  be  required. 

First  Grade  — First  Half  Year 

A considerable  number  of  the  poems  in  the  following  lists  should 
be  read  to  the  pupils  and  three  poems  should  be  memorized  each 
half  year  from  the  lists  indicated  for  this  purpose.  As  far  as  pos- 
sible the  poems  should  be  chosen  in  such  a way  as  to  familiarize 
the  pupils  with  various  writers  of  poetry  for  little  children.  Special 
emphasis  may  well  be  placed  upon  the  grade  poet. 

The  books  starred  are  especially  recommended  for  this  grade. 


i Stories  suitable  for  reproduction  and  dramatization  by  the  pupils 

Bryant,  S.  C.  Three  Bears.  (How  to  Tell  Stories).  Houghton 
Bailey  & Lewis.  Little  Red  Hen.  (For  the  Children’s  Hour).  Milton 
Bradley 

Bannerman,  Helen.  Little  Black  Sambo.  (Little  Black  Sambo).  Reilly 
& Britton 

Wiggin  & Smith.  Gingerbread  Boy.  (Tales  of  Laughter).  Doubleday 
Bailey,  C.  S.  Queer  Company.  *( Firelight  Stories).  Milton  Bradley 
Wiggin  & Smith.  Pancake.  * (Tales  of  Laughter).  Doublcday 
Bailey,  C.  S.  Lambikin.  (Firelight  Stories).  Milton  Bradley. 

Hoxie,  J.  L.  Wee,  Wee  Woman.  (Kindergarten  Stories).  Milton  Bradley 
Wiggin  & Smith.  Old  Woman  and  Her  Pig.  * (Tales  of  Laughter). 
Doubleday 

Wiggin  & Smith.  Lion  and  the  Mouse.  * (Tales  of  Laughter).  Doubleday 
Wiggin  & Smith.  Three  Billy  Goats  Gruff.  ♦(Talcs  of  Laughter). 
Doubleday 

Richards,  L.  E.  Pig  Brother.  (Pig  Brother  and  Other  Stories).  Little 
Coe,  F.  E.  Chicken  Little.  (First  Book  of  Stories).  Houghton 


68 


Poulsson,  Emilie.  Santa  Claus  and  the  Mouse.  (In  the  Quid's  World). 
Milton  Bradley 

Bryant,  S.  C.  Raggylug.  (How  to  Tell  Stories).  Houghton 
Jacobs,  Joseph.  Tom,  Tit,  Tot.  (English  Fairy  Tales).  Putnam 
Bryant,  S.  C.  Dog  and  the  Kitty  Cats.  (Stories  to  Tell  the  Littlest  Ones). 
Houghton 

Bailey,  C.  S.  Henny  Penny.  (For  the  Children’s  Hour).  Milton  Bradley 

2 Poems  to  be  memorized 


a Miscellaneous  poems 


Anon.  Kind  Hearts.  (Primary  Recitations).  Penn 
Bangs.  Elf  Man.  (Home  Book  of  Verse).  Holt 
Blake,  William.  Lamb.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  i).  Ginn 
Brown,  K.  L.  Little  Plant.  (Primary  Recitations).  Penn 
Brown,  A.  F.  I know.  (Riverside  First  Reader) 

Brown,  A.  F.  Dressmaking.  (Riverside  Second  Reader) 

Sherman,  F.  D.  Bees.  (Little  Folk  Lyrics).  Houghton 
Smith,  S.  F.  America  (two  verses).  (Poems  of  American  Patriotism). 
Page 

Taylor,  Jane.  Twinkle.  Twinkle  Little  Star.  (Selections  for  Memorizing). 
Ginn 

Hugo,  Victor.  Good  Night.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  i).  Ginn 

b Grade  poet,  Robert  Louis  Stevenson 


Time  to  Rise 
At  the  Seaside 
The  Cow 
Autumn  Fires 
Singing 


Whole  Duty  of  Children 
Where  Go  the  Boats 
A Good  Play 
Bed  in  Summer 
Rain 


3 Poems  to  be  read  to  the  children 


Cary,  Phoebe.  They  Didn’t  Think.  (Ballads  for  Little  Folks).  Houghton 
Cary,  Phoebe.  Suppose.  (Ballads  for  Little  Folks).  Houghton 
Cooper,  George.  Come  Little  Leaves.  (Pinafore  Palace).  Doubleday 
Child,  L.  M.  If  Ever  I See.  (Nature  in  Verse).  Silver 
Peabody,  J.  P.  Making  a House.  (Selections  for  Memorizing).  Silver 
Rossetti,  C.  G.  City  Mouse  and  the  Country  Mouse.  (Home  Book  of 
Verse).  Holt 

Rossetti,  C.  G.  Who  Has  Seen  the  Wind?  (Home  Book  of  Verse).  Holt' 
Stevenson,  R.  L.  Lamplighter.  (Child’s  Garden  of  Verse).  Various 
editions. 

Stevenson,  R.  L.  Land  of  Nod.  (Child’s  Garden  of  Verse).  Various 
editions. 

Taylor,  Jane.  I Love  Little  Pussy.  (Home  Book  of  Verse).  Holt 
Taylor,  Jane.  Thank  You,  Pretty  Cow.  (Posy  Ring).  Houghton 
Rhymes.  Three  Little  Kittens.  (Werner’s  Readings,  v.  6).  Werner 

Robin  Redbreast.  (Approved  Selections  for  Reading,  v.  i). 
Hinds 

Little  Bopeep.  (Poems  by  Grades:  primary).  Scribner 


First  Grade  — Second  Half  Year 

i Stories  suitable  for  reproduction  and  dramatization 
Wiggin  & Smith.  Three  Little  Pigs.  * (Tales  of  Laughter).  Doubleday 
Poulsson,  Emilie.  Crane  Express.  (In  the  Child’s  World).  Milton 
Bradley 

Bailey,  C.  S.  Teeny,  Tiny  Lady.  * (Firelight  Stories).  Milton  Bradley 
Bryant,  S.  C.  Little  Half  Chick.  (Stories  to  Tell).  Houghton 
Wiggin  & Smith.  Musicians  of  Bremen.  (Tales  of  Laughter).  Doubleday 


69 


Bailey,  C.  S.  Little  Boy  Who  Found  His  Fortune.  (Firelight  Stories). 
Milton  Bradley 

Coe,  F.  E.  Little  Red  Riding  Hood.  (First  Book  of  Stories).  Houghton 
Hoxie,  J.  L.  Little  Long  Tail.  (Kindergarten  Stories).  Milton  Bradley 

Poulsson,  Emilie.  How  Patty  Gave  Thanks.  (In  the  Child  World). 

Milton  Bradley 

Bailey,  C.  S.  Mrs  Santa  Claus.  *(For  the  Children’s  Hour).  Milton 

Bradley 

Coe,  F.  E.  Jack  and  the  Beanstalk.  (First  Book  of  Stories).  Houghton 
Lindsay,  Maud.  Little  Gray  Pony.  (Mother  Stories).  Milton  Bradley 
Bailey,  C.  S.  The  Hen  Who  Went  to  High  Dover.  (For  the  Children’s 
Hour).  Milton  Bradley 

Grimm,  J.  L.  K.  & W.  K.  The  Straw,  the  Coal  and  the  Bean.  (Fairy 
Tales).  Various  editions 

Bailey,  C.  S.  First  Easter  Eggs.  (For  the  Children’s  Hour).  Milton 

Bradley 

Bailey,  C.  S.  Elf  and  the  Dormouse.  (For  the  Children’s  Hour).  Milton 
Bradley 

Bailey,  C.  S.  Legend  of  the  Dandelion.  (For  the  Children’s  Hour). 
Milton  Bradley 

Williston,  T.  P.  First  Rabbits.  (Japanese  Fairy  Tales,  v.  2).  Rand. 
Lindsay,  Maud.  Dumpy,  the  Pony.  (More  Mother  Stories).  Milton 
Bradley 

2 Poems  to  be  memorized 

a Miscellaneous  poems 

Bates,  C.  D.  Who  Likes  the  Rain?  (Nature  in  Verse).  Silver 
Carney,  J.  A.  T.  Little  Things.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  1).  Ginn 
Coolidge,  Susan.  How  the  Leaves  Came  Down.  (Nature  in  Verse). 
Silver 

Dodge,  M.  Mapes.  A Plump  Little  Girl  to  a Thin  Little  Bird.  (Merrill 
Second  Reader) 

Macdonald,  George.  Baby.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  1).  Ginn 
Richard,  S.  B.  They  Were 

Rossetti,  C.  G.  Swallow.  (Recitations  for  Assembly  and  Classroom). 
Macmillan 

Sherman,  F.  D.  Dewdrop.  (Little  Folks  Lyrics).  Houghton 

Sherman,  F.  D.  Daisies.  (Little  Folks  Lyrics).  Houghton 

Watts,  Isaac.  How  Doth  the  Little  Busy  Bee.  (Nature  in  Verse).  Silver 

b Grade  poet,  Robert  Louis  Stevenson 

Thought  Foreign  Children 

System  Happy  Thought 

Swing  Marching  Song 

Wind  Sun’s  Travels 

Looking  Forward  Land  of  Counterpane 

3 Poems  to  be  read  to  the  children 

Brown,  A.  F.  Friends.  (Home  Book  of  Verse  for  Young  Folks).  Holt 
Dodge,  M.  M.  Snowflakes.  (American  Anthology).  Houghton 
Field,  Eugene.  Rock-a-bye-Lady.  (Eugene  Field  Book).  Scribner 
Nesbit,  Edith.  Baby  Seed  Song.  (Posy  Ring).  Ploughton 
Rossetti,  C.  G.  Hurt  No  Living  Thing.  (Approved  Selections  for  Read- 
ing, v.  2).  Hinds 

Rossetti,  C.  G.  Boats  Sail  on  the  Rivers.  (Approved  Selections,  v.  1). 
Hinds 

Selected.  How  to  Get  a Breakfast 

Stevenson,  R.  L.  Foreign  Lands.  (Child’s  Garden  of  Verse).  Scribner 
Sherman,  F.  D.  Flying  Kite.  (Little  Folks  Lyrics).  Houghton 
Woodworth,  F.  C.  Snowbird.  (Nature  in  Verse).  Silver 


70 


4 Books  for  children's  reading  in  the  first  grade 

Adelborg,  Ottilia.  Clean  Peter.  Longmans 

Bannerman,  Helen.  Little  Black  Sambo.  Reilly 

Baum,  L.  F.  Father  Goose.  Bobbs 

Burgess,  Gelett.  Goops  and  How  to  be  Them.  Stokes 

Greenaway,  Kate.  Mother  Goose.  Wame 

Greenaway,  Kate.  Under  the  Windows.  Warne 

Grover,  E.  O.  Sunbonnet  Babies.  Rand 

Hale,  L.  P.  Peterkin  Papers.  Houghton 

Lang,  Andrew.  Nursery  Rhymes.  Warne 

Lucas,  E.  V.  Four  and  Twenty  Toilers.  McDevit-Wilson 

Perkins,  L.  F.  The  Dutch  Twins  Primer.  Houghton 

Potter,  Beatrix.  Tale  of  Peter  Rabbit.  Saalfield. 

Potter,  Beatrix.  Tale  of  Tom  Kitten.  Warne 
Potter,  Beatrix.  Tale  of  Benjamin  Bunny.  Warne 
Rackham.  Mother  Goose.  Scribner 
Sage,  Betty.  Rhym'es  of  Real  Children.  Duffield 
Smith,  Gertrude.  Arabella  and  Araminta  Stories.  Small 
Smith,  E.  B.  Chicken  World.  Putnam 
White,  E.  O.  When  Molly  Was  Six.  Houghton 
Wright,  B.  F.  Mother  Goose  Series.  Rand 

5 Suggested  material  for  the  use  of  the  teacher 

Bailey,  C.  S.  Firelight  Stories.  Milton  Bradley 
Bailey,  C.  S.  For  the  Children’s  Hour.  Milton  Bradley 
Bailey,  C.  S.  Tell  me  Another  Story.  Milton  Bradley 
Brown,  A.  F.  Pocket  Full  of  Posies.  Houghton 
Blake,  William.  Songs  of  Innocence.  Lane 
Bryant,  S.  C.  How  to  Tell  Stories.  Houghton 
Bryant,  S.  C.  Stories  to  Tell.  Houghton. 

Bryant,  S.  C.  Stories  to  Tell  to  the  Littlest  Ones.  Houghton 

Coe,  F.  E.  First  Book  of  Stories.  Houghton 

Grimm,  J.  W.  L.  & W.  K.  Fairy  Tales.  Various  editions 

Hoxie,  J.  L.  Kindergarten  Stories.  Milton  Bradley 

Lindsay,  Maud.  Mother  Stories.  Milton  Bradley 

Martin,  W.  C.  Storytellers  Magazine.  Storytellers 

Poulsson,  Emilie.  In  the  Child’s  World.  Milton  Bradley 

Sherman,  F.  D.  Little  Folk  Lyrics,  Houghton 

Stevenson,  R.  L.  A Child’s  Garden  of  Verses.  Various  editions 

Wiggin  & Smith.  Tales  of  Laughter.  Doubleday 

Wiggin  & Smith.  Pinafore  Palace.  Doubleday 

Williston,  T.  P.  Japanese  Fairy  Tales,  v.  2.  Rand 

Second  Grade  — First  Half  Year 

A considerable  number  of  the  poems  in  the  following  lists  should 
be  read  to  the  pupils  and  three  poems  should  be  memorized  each 
half  year  from  the  lists  indicated  for  this  purpose.  As  far  as  pos- 
sible the  poems  should  be  chosen  in  such  a way  as  to  familiarize 
the  pupils  with  various  writers  of  poetry  for  little  children.  Special 
emphasis  may  well  be  placed  upon  the  grade  poet. 

The  books  starred  are  especially  recommended  for  this  grade. 


71 


1 Stories  for  reproduction  and  dramatization 

Bryant,  S.  C.  Epaminondas.  *( Stories  to  Tell.)  Houghton 
Bryce,  C.  T.  The  Lazy  Raccoon.  * (That’s  Why  Stories).  Newson 
Bryce,  C.  T.  Why  Turtles  Stay  near  the  Water.  * (That’s  Why  Stories). 
Newson 

Little  Steam  Engine.  (Riverside  Second  Reader).  Houghton 

Bryant,  S.  C.  Little  Jackal  and  the  Alligator.  (Stories  to  Tell).  Hough- 
ton 

Babbitt,  E.  C.  Golden  Bowl.  *(Jataka  Tales).  Century 
Howells,  W.  D.  Pumpkin  Glory.  (Christmas  Every  Day).  Harper 
Grimm,  J.  W.  L.  & W.  K.  Shoemaker  and  the  Elves.  (Fairy  Tales). 
Various  editions 

Perrault,  Charles.  Cinderella.  (Fairy  Tales).  Estes 
Bryant,  S.  C.  When  Peter  Rabbit  Had  the  Earache.  (Stories  to  Tell  the 
Littlest  Ones).  Houghton 

Hoxie,  J.  L.  Brownies.  (Kindergarten  Stories).  Milton  Bradley 
Hoxie,  J.  L.  Froggy’s  Adventure.  (Kindergarten  Stories).  Milton 
Bradley 

Hoxie,  J.  L.  Timothy’s  Shoes.  (Kindergarten  Stories).  Milton  Bradley 
Hoxie,  J.  L.  Dunny.  (Kindergarten  Stories).  Milton  Bradley 
Skinner,  E.  L.  Hillman  and  the  Housewife.  (Merry  Tales).  Amer. 
Book  Co. 

Poulsson,  Emilie.  Thrifty  Squirrel.  (In  the  Child’s  World).  Milton 
Bradley 

Coe,  F.  E.  Hare  and  the  Tortoise.  (First  Book  of  Stories).  Houghton 
Andersen,  H.  C.  Five  Peas  in  a Pod.  (Fairy  Tales).  Various  editions 
Olcott,  F.  J.  Little  Piccola.  (Good  Stories  for  Great  Holidays).  Hough- 
ton 

Babbitt,  E.  C.  Monkey  and  the  Crocodile.  (Jataka  Tales).  Century 

2 Poems  to  be  memorized 

a Miscellaneous  poems 

Anon.  Little  by  Little. 

Blake.  Shepherd.  (Book  of  Verse  for  Children).  Holt 
Coleridge,  S.  T.  He  Prayeth  Best.  Rime  of  the  Ancient  Mariner  (Book 
of  Famous  Verse).  Houghton 

Douglas,  Marian.  Song  of  the  Bee.  (Nature  in  Verse).  Ginn 
Field,  Eugene.  Japanese  Lullaby. 

Follen,  E.  L.  Runaway  Brook.  (Poems  by  Grades:  primary).  Scribner 
Riley,  J.  W.  Extremes.  (Book  of  Joyous  Children).  Scribner 
Rossetti,  C.  G.  How  many  Seconds?  (Selections  for  Memorizing).  Silver 
Smith,  S.  F.  America,  four  verses  (review).  (Poems  of  American  Patriot- 
ism). Page 

Stevenson,  R.  L.  My  Shadow.  (Child’s  Garden  of  Verse).  Various 
editions 


b Grade  poet,  Frank  Dempster  Sherman 


Robin’s  Apology 
The  Rose’s  Cup 
Smiles  and  Tears 
Elfin  Lamps 


The  Snowbird 
Ghost  Fairies 
The  Four  Winds 
The  Clouds 


3  Poems  to  be  read  to  the  children 


Cary,  Phoebe.  Envious  Wren.  (Ballads  for  Little  Folks).  Houghton 
Cary,  Phoebe.  Chicken’s  Mistake.  (Ballads  for  Little  Folks).  Houghton 
Gould,  S.  B.  Child’s  Evening  Prayer.  (Victorian  Anthology).  Houghton 
Herford,  Oliver.  Elf  and  the  Dormouse.  (Handbook  of  Verse).  Holt 
Miller,  E.  H.  Hang  Up  the  Baby’s  Stocking. 


72 


Mulock.  Christmas  Carol.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  i).  Ginn 
Poulsson,  Emilie.  Chickens  in  Trouble.  (Pinafore  Palace).  Doubleday 
Sherman,  F.  D.  Real  Santa  Claus.  (Little  Folk  Lyrics).  Houghton 
Tennyson,  Alfred.  Sweet  and  Low.  (“Princess,”  nature  in  Verse).  Ginn 

Second  Grade  — Second  Half  Year 


1 Stories  suitable  for  reproduction  and  dramatization 

Scudder,  H.  E.  Honest  Woodman.  (Fables  and  Folk  Stories).  Houghton 
Wiggin  & Smith.  Golden  Goose.  (Tales  of  Laughter).  Doubleday 
Bryant,  S.  C.  Little  Jackal  and  the  Camel.  (Stories  to  Tell).  Houghton 
Bailey,  C S.  Legend  of  the  Great  Dipper.  (For  the  Children’s  Hour). 
Milton  Bradley 

Poulsson,  Emilie.  First  Thanksgiving.  (In  the  Child’s  World).  Miilton 
Bradley 

Evans,  L.  B.  Little  Gray  Lamb.  (Worth  While  Stories).  Milton  Bradley 
Holbrook,  F.  Why  the  Evergreen  Trees  Keep  Their  Leaves.  (Nature 
Myths).  Houghton 

Bryant,  S.  C.  How  Brother  Rabbit  Fooled  the  Whale.  (Stories  to  Tell). 
Houghton 

Evans,  L.  B.  Puss  in  Boots.  (Worth  While  Stories).  Milton  Bradley 
Bailey,  C.  S.  Mrs  Santa  Claus.  (For  the  Children’s  Hour).  Milton 
Bradley 

Bailey,  C.  S.  What  Broke  the  China  Pitcher.  (For  the  Children’s  Hour). 
Milton  Bradley 

Bailey,  C.  S.  Stone  in  the  Road.  (For  the  Children’s  Hour).  Milton 
Bradley 

Bailey,  C.  S.  Legend  of  the  Woodpecker.  (For  the  Children’s  Hour). 

Milton  Bradley 

Bailey,  C.  S.  How  the  Robin’s  Breast  Became  Red.  (For  the  Children’s 
Hour).  Milton  Bradley 

Lang,  Andrew.  Hop  O’  My  Thumb.  (Blue  Fairy  Book).  Longmans 
Owen,  M.  A.  How  the  Bluebird  Came  to  be  Blue.  (Voodoo  Tales). 
Putnam 

Richards,  L.  E.  About  Angels.  (Golden  Windows).  Little 
Grimm,  J.  W.  L.  & W.  K.  Little  Two  Eyes.  (Fairy  Tales).  Various 
editions 

Bailey,  C.  S.  Clytie.  (For  the  Children’s  Hour).  Milton  Bradley  • 

Bryant,  S.  C.  Cock,  Mouse  and  the  Little  Red  Hen.  (Stories  to  Tell). 
Houghton 

2 Poems  to  be  memorized 


a Miscellaneous  poems 


Alexander,  C.  F.  All  Things  Bright  and  Beautiful.  (Posy  Ring).  Houghton 
Kingsley,  Charles.  Lost  Doll  from  “Water  Babies.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  i). 


Lord  Houghton.  Lady  Moon.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  i).  Ginn 
Peabody,  J.  P.  Journey.  (Selections  for  Memorizing).  Silver 
Sherman,  F.  D.  Little  Leaves  at  Play.  (Lyrics  for  Little  Folks). 


Hough- 


Sherman,  F.  D.  Golden  Rod.  (Lyrics  for  Little  Folks).  Houghton 
Smith,  W.  H.  Child’s  Prayer.  . . . . 

Smith,  S.  F.  America,  four  verses.  (Poems  of  American  Patriotism). 
Tabb,  J.  B.  Tax  Gatherer.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Tennyson,  Alfred.  Winter.  (Listening  Child).  Macmillan 


Page 


73 


b Grade  poet,  Eugene  Field 

Sugar  Plum  Tree 
Duel 

Wynken,  Blynken  and  Nod 
Nightwind 

Good  Children  Street 

3 Poems  to  be  read  to  the  children 

Cary,  Alice.  Three  Bugs.  (Ballads  for  Little  Folks).  Houghton 
Child,  L.  M.  Who  Stole  the  Bird’s  Nest.  (Nature  in  Verse).  Silver 
Field,  Eugene.  Shut-Eye  Train.  (Eugene  Field  Book).  Scribner 
Longfellow,  H.  W.  Hiawatha’s  Childhood.  (Book  of  Verse  for  Chil- 
dren). Holt 

Lear,  Edward.  Owl  and  the  Pussy  Cat.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  i).  Ginn 
Anon.  Raindrops’  Ride.  (Poetry  by  Grades:  primary).  Scribner 
Rand,  W.  B.  Wonderful  World.  (Posy  Ring).  Houghton 
Stedman,  E.  C.  What  the  Winds  Bring.  (Posy  Ring).  Houghton 
Tennyson,  Alfred.  Little  Birdie.  (“Sea  Dreams”;  Open  Sesame,  v.  i). 
Ginn 

Thaxter,  Celia.  Scarecrow.  (Stories  and  Poems  for  Children).  Houghton 

4 Books  suggested  for  children’s  reading 

Baldwin,  James.  Fairy  Stories  and  Fables.  Amer.  Book  Co. 

Brooks,  Dorothy.  Stories  of  Red  Children.  Educational 

Brown,  A.  F.  Pocket  Full  of  Posies.  Houghton 

Cox,  Palmer.  Brownies : Their  Book.  Century 

Craik,  D.  M.  (Mulock).  Fairy  Book.  Various  editions 

Dodge,  M.  M.  Baby  Days.  Century 

Dodge,  M.  M.  When  Life  is  Young.  Century 

Fox,  F.  C.  Indian  Primer.  Amer.  Book  Co. 

Godolphin,  Mary.  Aesop’s  Fables.  Burt 

Grover,  E.  O.  Kitties  and  Cats.  Houghton 

Grover,  E.  O.  Overall  Boys.  Rand 

Holbrook,  Florence.  Hiawatha  Primer.  Houghton 

Hopkins,  W.  J.  Indian  Book.  Houghton 

Hopkins,  W.  J.  Sandman.  Page 

Jackson,  H.  M.  H.  Letters  from  a Cat.  Little 

Johonnot,  James.  Friends  in  Feathers  and  Fur.  Amer.  Book  Co. 

Johnson,  Clifton.  Fairy  Tale  Bears.  Houghton 

Lang,  Andrew.  Jack  the  Giant  Killer.  Longmans 

Perrault,  Charles.  Sleeping  Beauty  in  Fairy  Tales.  Dent 

Lang,  Andrew.  Snow  Man  and  Other  Stories.  Longmans 

Lucia,  Rose.  Peter  and  Polly  in  Spring.  Amer.  Book  Co. 

May,  Sophie.  Little  Prudy.  Lothrop 
Peabody,  J.  P.  Book  of  the  Little  Past.  Houghton 
Perkins,  L.  F.  Eskimo  Twins.  Houghton 
Potter,  Beatrix.  Tale  of  Pigling  Bland.  Warne 
Smythe,  E.  L.  Reynard  the  Fox.  Amer.  Book  Co. 

Stevenson,  R.  L.  Child’s  Garden  of  Verses.  Various  editions 

Scudder,  H.  E.  Book  of  Fables.  Houghton 

Sherman,  F.  D.  Little  Folk  Lyrics.  Houghton 

Wiggin  & Smith.  Pinafore  Palace.  Doubleday 

Readers  suitable  to  the  grade  and  any  good  collection  of  verse 

5  Suggested  material  for  the  use  of  the  teacher 

Anderson,  H.  C.  Fairy  Tales.  Various  editions 
Bailey,  C.  S.  For  the  Children’s  Hour.  Milton  Bradley 
Bailey,  C.  S.  Tell  Me  Another  Story.  Milton  Bradley 
Bryant,  S-  C.  Stories  to  Tell.  Houghton 


74 


Bryant,  S.  C.  Stories  to  Tell  the  Littlest  Ones.  Houghton 

Bryce,  C.  T.  That’s  Why  Stories.  Newson 

Cabot,  E.  L.  Ethics  for  Children.  Houghton 

Coe,  F.  E.  * First  Book  of  Stories.  Houghton 

Field,  Eugene.  Love  Songs  of  Childhood.  Scribner 

Field,  Eugene.  With  Trumpet  and  Drum.  Scribner 

Field,  Eugene.  Lullaby  Land.  Scribner 

Grimm,  J.  W.  L.  & W.  K.  Fairy  Tales,  Lucas  edition.  Doubleday 

Jacobs,  Joseph.  Fairy  Tales.  Putnam 

Peabody,  J.  P.  Book  of  the  Little  Past.  Houghton 

Perrault,  Charles.  Tales  of  Mother  Goose.  Heath 

Perrault,  Charles.  Once  Upon  a Time. 

Richards,  L.  E.  Golden  Windows.  Little 
Scudder,  H.  E.  Fables  and  Folk  Stories.  Houghton 
Skinner,  E.  L.  Merry  Tales.  Amer.  Book  Co. 

Grimm,  J.  W.  L.  & W.  K.  House  in  the  Wood.  Warne 
Wiggin  & Smith.  Tales  of  Laughter.  Doubleday 

Third  Grade — First  Half  Year 

A considerable  number  of  the  poems  in  the  following  lists  should 
be  read  to  the  pupils  and  three  poems  should  be  memorized  each 
half  year  from  the  lists  indicated  for  this  purpose.  As  far  as  pos- 
sible the  poems  should  be  chosen  in  such  a way  as  to  familiarize  the 
pupils  with  various  writers  of  poetry  for  little  children.  Special 
emphasis  may  well  be  placed  upon  the  grade  poet. 

The  books  starred  are  especially  recommended  for  this  grade. 

I Stories  to  be  used  for  reproduction  and  dramatization 

Mulock,  D.  M.  Adventure  of  a Brownie.  Various  editions 
Holbrook,  Florence.  Arachne.  (Nature  Myths).  Houghton 
Bailey,  C.  S.  Old  Man  Rabbit’s  Thanksgiving  Dinner.  (For  the  Story 
Teller).  Milton  Bradley 

Cooke,  F.  J.  Why  the  Sea  Is  Salt.  (Nature  Myths).  Flanagan 
Goodlander,  M.  R.  Snow  White  and  Rose  Red.  (Fairy  Plays  for  Chil- 
dren). Rand 

Bailey,  C.  S.  Little  Hannibal’s  Christmas.  (For  the  Story  Teller).  Milton 
Bradley 

Bailey,  C.  S.  Little  Rabbit  who  Wanted  Red  Wings.  (For  the  Story 
Teller).  Milton  Bradley 

Williston,  T.  P.  Wonderful  Teakettle.  (Japanese  Fairy  Tales,  v.  i). 
Rand 

Bailey,  C.  S.  Hansel  and  Gretel.  (Stories  Children  Need).  Milton  Bradley 
Evans,  L.  B.  Dick  Whittington  and  His  Cat.  (Worth  While  Stories). 
Milton  Bradley 

Andersen,  H.  C.  Ugly  Duckling.  (Fairy  Tales).  Various  editions 
Andersen,  H.  C.  Brave  Tin  Soldier.  (Fairy  Tales).  Various  editions 
Harris,  J.  C.  Tar  Baby.  (“Uncle  Remus”,  His  Songs  and  His  Sayings). 
Appleton 

Hoxie,  J.  L.  Fish  or  Frogs.  (Kindergarten  Stories).  Milton  Bradley 
Lindsay,  Maud.  Dust  Under  the  Rug.  (Mother  Stories).  Milton  Bradley 
Stewart,  Mary.  David  the  Shepherd  Boy.  * (Tell  Me  a True  Story). 
Revell 

Skinner,  E.  L.  Fishing  Party.  *( Merry  Tales).  Amer.  Book  Co. 

Bailey,  C.  S.  Rich  Goose.  *(For  the  Children’s  Hour).  Milton  Bradley 


75 


Bailey,  C.  S.  Little  Lad  of  Long  Ago.  *(For  the  Children’s  Hour).  Milton 
Bradley 

Bailey,  C.  S.  Narcissus.  *(For  the  Children’s  Hour).  Milton  Bradley 

2 Poems  to  be  memorized 

a Miscellaneous  poems 

Aldrich,  T.  B.  Marjorie’s  Almanac.  (Nature  in  Verse).  Silver 
Brown,  K.  L.  Dandelion.  (Nature  in  Verse).  Silver 
Bjornson,  B.  Tree.  (Nature  in  Verse).  Silver 

Cary,  Phoebe.  Don’t  Give  Up.  (Ballads  for  Little  Folks).  Houghton 
Hogg,  James.  Boy’s  Song.  (Nature  in  Verse).  Silver 
Jackson,  H.  H.  September.  (Nature  in  Verse).  Silver 
Peabody,  J.  P.  Fir  Tree. 

Riley,  J.  W.  Song.  (Graded  memory  selections).  Educational 
Tabb,  J.  B.  Brook  Song. 

Tennyson,  Alfred.  Snow  Drops.  (Poems  by  Grades:  primary).  Scribner 

b Grade  poet,  Lucy  Larcom 

Brown  Thrush 
Rivulet 

Calling  the  Violet 
If  I Were  a Sunbeam 
Berrying  Song 
Sing- Away,  Bird 

3 Poems  to  be  read  to  the  children 

Butts,  M.  F.  Winter  Night.  (Posy  Ring).  Houghton 

Field,  Eugene.  Jest  ’fore  Christmas.  (Eugene  Held  Book).  Scribner 

Gould,  H.  F.  Jack  Frost.  (Posy  Ring).  Houghton 

Hamilton.  Chestnut  Burr. 

Hereford,  Oliver.  Thanksgiving  Fable.  (Posy  Ring).  Houghton 
Howitt,  Mary.  Fairies  of  the  Caldron  Low.  (Posy  Ring).  Houghton 
Kipling,  Rudyard.  Pussy  and  Binkie.  (Stories  and  Poems  Every  Child 
Should  Know).  Houghton 

Riley,  J.  W.  Boy’s  Mother.  (Treasury  of  American  Verse).  Stokes 
Wordsworth,  William.  Pet  Lamb.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  i).  Ginn 

Third  Grade — Second  Half  Year 

i Stories  to  be  used  for  reproduction  and  dramatization 
Richards,  L.  E.  Buttercup  Gold.  (Five  Minute  Stories).  Estes 
Skinner,  E.  L.  Li’l  Hannibal.  (Merry  Tales).  Amer.  Book  Co. 
Perrault,  Charles.  Sleeping  Beauty.  (Fairy  Tales).  Various  editions 
Saxe,  J.  G.  Peasant  Truth.  (Riverside  Third  reader).  Houghton 
Wiggin  & Smith.  Bruce  and  the  Spider.  (Tales  of  Laughter).  Double- 
day 

Bryant,  S.  C.  Golden  Cobwebs.  (How  to  Tell  Stories).  Houghton 
Barrie,  J.  M.  Peter  Pan.  Barse 

Williston,  T.  P.  Woodcutter’s  Sake.  (Japanese  Fairy  Tales,  v.  i).  Rand 
Goodlander,  M.  R.  Snow  White  and  the  Seven  Dwarfs.  (Fairy  Tales  and 
Plays).  Rand 

Harrison,  Elizabeth.  Discontented  Mill  Window.  (In  Storyland).  Central 
Harrison,  Elizabeth.  Princess  on  the  Glass  Hill.  (Elson  Third  Reader). 
Scott 

Carpenter,  E.  J.  Pandora.  (Hellenic  Tales).  Little 
Jacobs,  Joseph.  Three  Wishes.  (More  English  Fairy  Tales).  Putnam 
Cabot,  E.  L.  Lincoln’s  Kindness  to  Animals.  (Ethics  for  Children) 
Houghton 

Harris,  J.  C.  Brother  Rabbit’s  Story.  (Riverside  Third  Reader). 
Houghton 


76 


Bailey,  C.  S.  Queer  Baker.  (Stories  Children  Need).  Milton  Bradley 
Williston,  T.  P.  Tongue  Cut  Sparrow.  (Japanese  Fairy  Tales,  v.  i). 
Rand 

Bailey,  C.  S.  Frog  Prince.  (Stories  Children  Need).  Milton  Bradley 
Skinner,  E.  L.  How  Olaf  Brought  the  Brownie  to  Blednock.  (Merry 
Tales).  Amer.  Book  Co. 

Evans,  L.  B.  Boyhood  of  George  Washington.  (Worth  While  Stories). 
Milton  Bradley 

2  Poems  to  be  memorized 


a Miscellaneous  poems 

Brooks,  Phillips.  O Little  Town  of  Bethlehem.  (American  Anthology). 
Houghton 

Cary,  Alice.  November.  (Ballads  for  Little  Folks).  Houghton 
Emerson,  R.  W.  Fable.  (Posy  Ring).  Houghton 

Field,  Eugene.  Night  Wind.  (Graded  Memory  Selections).  Educational 
Hereford,  Oliver.  A Thanksgiving  Fable.  (Posy  Ring).  Houghton 
Shakspere,  William.  Greenwood  Tree.  (“As  You  Like  It,”  Open  Sesame, 
v.  i ) . Ginn 

Sherman,  F.  D.  Shadows.  (Little  Folks  Lyrics).  Houghton 
Setoun,  Gabriel.  World’s  Music.  (Book  of  Verse  for  Children).  Holt 
Scollard,  Clinton.  Fraidie  Cat.  (Selections  for  Memorizing).  Silver 


b Grade  poet,  James  Whitcomb  Riley 


Brook  Song 
Sudden  Shower 
Yellow  Bird 
* Raggedy  Man 

3  Poems  to  be  read  to  the 


Winter  Fancies 
Pansies 

*Little  Orphan  Annie 
No  Boy  Knows 

children 


Allingham,  William.  Robin  Redbreast.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  i).  Ginn 
Child,  L.  M.  Thanksgiving  Day.  (Nature  in  Verse).  Silver 
Moore,  C.  C.  Visit  from  St  Nicholas.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  i).  Ginn 
Longfellow,  H.  W.  Hiawatha’s  Hunting.  (Song  of  Hiawatha  Poems). 
Houghton 

Riley,  J.  W.  *Circus  Day  Parade.  (Riley  Child  Rhymes).  Bowen 
Setoun,  Gabriel.  Jack  Frost.  (Book  of  Verse  for  Children).  Holt 
Thomas,  E.  M.  Talking  in  Their  Sleep.  (Pieces  for  Every  Occasion). 
Hinds 

Thaxter,  Celia.  Piccola.  (Stories  and  Poems  for  Children).  Houghton 
Vandergrift,  Margaret.  Sandman.  (Posy  Ring).  Houghton 
Wordsworth,  William.  Alice  Fell.  (Children’s  Garland).  Macmillan 

4  Books  suggested  for  children’s  reading 

Babbit,  E.  C.  Jataka  Tales.  Century 

Baldwin,  James.  Fairy  Stories  and  Fables.  Amer.  Book  Co. 

Baldwin,  James.  Another  Fairy  Reader.  Amer.  Book  Co. 

Barrie,  J.  M.  Peter  Pan.  Barse  & Hopkins 

Bigham,  M.  A.  Merry  Animal  Tales.  Little 

Baum,  L.  F.  Wonderful  Wizard  of  Oz.  Bobbs 

Bryce,  C.  T.  That’s  Why  Stories.  Newson 

Burgess,  T.  W.  Old  Mother  West  Wind.  Little 

Carryl,  C.  E.  Davy  and  the  Goblin.  Houghton 

Collodi,  Charles.  Adventures  of  Pinocchio.  Various  editions 

Deming,  E.  W.  Little  Indian  Folk.  Stokes 

Dutton,  M.  B.  In  Field  and  Pasture.  Amer.  Book  Co. 


*The  poems  marked  with  an  asterisk  may  be  used  for  individual  recitation  only.  It  is  not 
advisable  to  allow  children  to  memorize  the  dialect  poems  te  any  great  extent.  The  teacher  maj 
read  these  poems  to  the  children  for  their  enjoyment  during  the  study  of  the  poet. 


77 


Eggleston,  Edward.  Great  Americans  for  Little  Americans.  Amer.  Book 
Co. 

Finley,  W.  L.  Little  Bird  Blue.  Houghton 
Foley,  J.  W.  Boys  and  Girls.  Hoskins 

Goldsmith,  Oliver.  History  of  Little  Goody  Two  Shoes.  Various  editions 

Greenaway,  Kate.  Marigold  Garden.  Warne 

Holbrook,  Florence.  Book  of  Nature  Myths.  Houghton 

Jacobs,  Joseph.  Aesop’s  Fables.  Macmillan 

Lang,  Andrew.  Little  Red  Riding  Hood.  Longmans 

Lucia,  Rose.  Peter  and  Polly.  Amer.  Book  Co. 

May,  Sophie.  Little  Prudy’s  Sister  Susie.  Caldwell 
Miller,  O.  T.  Little  Folks  in  Feathers  and  Fur.  Dutton 
Morley,  M.  W.  Bee  People.  McClurg 

Page,  T.  N.  Tommy  Trot’s  Visit  to  Santa  Claus.  Scribner 

Peabody,  J.  P.  Book  of  the  Little  Past.  Floughton 

Perkins,  L.  F.  Japanese  Twins.  Houghton 

Perkins,  L.  F.  Belgian  Twins.  Houghton 

Pyle,  Katharine.  Nancy  Rutledge.  Little 

Pyle,  Katharine.  Christmas  Angel.  Little 

Pyle,  Katharine.  Joyous  Story  of  Toto.  Little 

Pyle,  Katharine.  Pig  Brother  and  Other  Stories.  Little 

Roadknight,  Mrs.  Old-fashioned  Rhymes.  Longmans 

Scudder,  H.  E.  Book  of  Folk  Stories.  Floughton 

Snedden,  G.  S.  Docas,  the  Indian  Boy.  Heath 

Shaw,  E.  R.  Big  People  and  Little  People  of  Other  Lands.  Amer. 
Book  Co. 

Schwartz,  J.  A.  Five  Little  Strangers.  Amer.  Book  Co. 

Williston,  T.  P.  Japanese  Fairy  Tales,  v.  i and  2.  Rand 
Wiggin  & Smith.  Tales  of  Laughter.  Doubleday 
Wiggin  & Smith.  Story  Hour.  Houghton 
Good  readers  suited  to  the  grade 

5 Suggested  material  for  the  use  of  the  teacher 

Bailey,  C.  S.  For  the  Story  Teller.  Milton  Bradley 

Bailey,  C.  S.  For  the  Children’s  Hour.  Milton  Bradley 

Bailey,  C.  S.  Stories  Children  Need.  Milton  Bradley 

Grimm,  J.  W.  L.  & W.  K.  Fairy  Tales.  Various  editions 

Harris,  J.  C.  Nights  with  Uncle  Remus.  Houghton 

Harrison,  Elizabeth.  In  Storyland.  Central 

Jacobs,  Joseph.  English  Fairy  Tales.  Putnam 

Jacobs,  Joseph.  More  English  Fairy  Talcs.  Putnam 

Judd,  M.  C.  Wigwam  Stories.  Ginn 

Lucas,  Elizabeth.  Andersen’s  Fairy  Tales.  Dutton 

Kelly,  Myra.  Little  Citizens.  Doubleday 

Kipling,  Rudyard.  Kipling  Reader.  Appleton 

Lang,  Andrew.  Blue  Fairy  Book.  Longmans 

Pratt,  M.  L.  Stories  of  Colonial  Children.  Educational 

Pratt,  M.  L.  Legends  of  Red  Children.  Amer.  Book  Co. 

Perrault,  Charles.  Fairy  Tales.  Various  editions 
Richards,  L.  E.  Golden  Windows.  Little 
Riley,  J.  W.  Book  of  Joyous  Children.  Scribner 
Riley,  J.  W.  Child  Rhymes.  Bowen 
Scudder,  H.  E.  Book  of  Legends.  Houghton 
Sherman,  F.  D.  Little  Folk  Lyrics.  Houghton 
Skinner,  E.  L.  Merry  Tales.  Amer.  Book  Co. 

Stewart,  Mary.  Tell  Me  a True  Story.  Revell 
Tileston,  M.  W.  Children’s  Treasure  Trove  of  Pearls.  Little 
Tr'leston,  M.  W.  Child’s  Harvest  of  Verse.  Little 
Wiggin  & Smith.  Tales  of  Laughter.  Doublcday 
Wiggin  & Smith.  Posy  Ring.  Houghton 


78 


Fourth  Grade  — First  Half  Year 

A considerable  number  of  poems  in  the  following  lists  should 
be  read  to  the  pupils  and  three  poems  should  be  memorized  each 
half  year  from  the  lists  indicated  for  this  purpose.  As  far  as  pos- 
sible the  poems  should  be  chosen  in  such  a way  as  to  familiarize  the 
pupils  with  various  writers  of  poetry  for  little  children.  Special 
emphasis  may  well  be  placed  upon  the  grade  poet. 

The  books  starred  are  especially  recommended  for  this  grade. 

1 Stories  to  be  used  for  reproduction 

Slosson,  A.  T.  Shut-up  Posy.  (Story  Tell  “Lib”)-  Scribner 
Bryant,  S.  C.  Pied  Piper.  (How  to  Tell  Stories).  Houghton 
Baldwin.  King  Alfred  and  the  Cakes.  (Fifty  Famous  Stories).  Amer. 
Book  Co. 

Baldwin.  King  Alfred  and  the  Beggar.  (Fifty  Famous  Stories).  Amer. 
Book  Co. 

Baldwin.  Cornelia’s  Jewels.  (Fifty  Famous  Stories).  Amer.  Book  Co. 
Bailey,  C.  S.  Golden  Touch.  (Stories  Children  Need).  Milton  Bradley 
Bailey,  C.  S.  Greenwood  Hunter. 

Bailey,  C.  S.  Robin  Hood  and  Little  John 
Bailey,  C.  S.  How  Robin  became  an  Outlaw. 

Skinner,  E.  L.  Robert  of  Huntington.  (Tales  and  Plays  of  Robin  Hood). 
Amer.  Book  Co. 

Skinner,  E.  L.  Hans  Who  Made  the  Princess  Laugh.  (Riverside  Third 
Reader).  Houghton 

Francillon,  R.  E.  Apollo  and  the  Laurel.  (Gods  and  Heroes).  Ginn 
Kipling,  Rudyard.  Elephant’s  Child.  (Stories  and  Poems  Every  Child 
Should  Know).  Houghton 

Kipling,  Rudyard.  How  the  Camel  Got  His  Hump.  (Stories  and  Poems 
Every  Child  Should  Know).  Houghton 
Baldwin,  James.  William  Tell.  (Fifty  Famous  Stories).  Amer.  Book 
Co. 

Baldwin,  James.  Grace  Darling.  (Fifty  Famous  Stories).  Amer.  Book 
Co. 

Francillon,  R.  E.  Pan  and  Apollo.  (Gods  and  Heroes).  Ginn 
Baldwin,  James.  Gold  in  the  Orchard.  (Fifty  Famous  Stories).  Amer. 
Book  Co. 

Olcott,  F.  J.  Wooden  Shoes  of  Little  Wolff.  (Good  Stories  for  Great 
Holidays).  Houghton 

Olcott,  F.  J.  Little  Harweda  or  the  Magic  Prison.  (Riverside  Fourth 
Reader).  Houghton 

2 Poems  to  be  memorized 

a Miscellaneous  poems 

Allingham,  William.  Fairies.  (Book  of  Famous  Verse).  Houghton 
Browning,  Robert.  Year’s  at  the  Spring.  (Poems  You  Ought  to  Know) 
Revell 

Dickinson.  I’ll  Tell  You  How  the  Sun  Rose. 

Field,  Eugene.  Blue  Pidgeon.  (Poems).  Scribner 

Jackson,  H.  H.  October.  (Nature  in  Verse).  Silver 

Key,  F.  S.  Star  Spangled  Banner.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  i).  Ginn 

Lowell,  J.  R.  Fountain.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  i).  Ginn 


79 


Miller,  E.  H.  Bluebird.  (Posy  Ring).  Houghton 
Nesbit.  E.  Little  Brown  Brother. 

Rossetti,  C.  G.  There’s  Nothing  Like  the  Rose.  (Posy  Ring).  Houghton 

b Grade  poet,  Henry  W.  Longfellow 


Village  Blacksmith 
Children’s  Hour 
Arrow  and  the  Song 


Rain  in  Summer 
Windmill 

Hiawatha’s  Sailing 


3 Poems  to  be  read  to  the  children 

Carroll,  Lewis.  Lobster  Qaudrille.  (Posy  Ring).  Houghton 
Cooper,  George.  Bob  White.  (Poetry  of  the  Seasons).  Silver 
Fields,  J.  T.  Owl  Critic.  (American  Wit  and  Humor).  Page 
Howitt,  Mary.  Birds  in  Summer.  (Posy  Ring).  Houghton 
Longfellow,  H.  W.  April  Day.  (Arbor  Day  Manual).  Bardeen 
Longfellow,  H.  W.  Hiawatha’s  Fishing.  (Song  of  Hiawatha  Poems). 
Houghton 

Longfellow,  H.  W.  Hiawatha’s  Friends.  (Song  of  Hiawatha  Poems). 
Houghton 

Lowell,  J.  R.  Singing  Leaves.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 

Saxe,  J.  G.  King  Solomon  and  the  Bees.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 

Thaxter,  Celia.  Christmas  in  Norway. 


Fourth  Grade — Second  Half  Year 


I Stories  to  be  used  for  reproduction 

Skinner,  E.  L.  Robin  Hood  and  Friar  Tuck.  (Tales  and  Plays  of  Robin 
Hood).  Amer.  Book  Co. 

Skinner,  E.  L.  Robin  Hood  and  Allan-a-dale.  (Tales  and  Plays  of  Robin 
Hood).  Amer.  Book  Co. 

Mabie,  H.  W.  Balder  the  Beautiful.  (Norse  Stories).  Dodd 
Mabie,  H.  W.  Jason  and  the  Golden  Fleece.  (Norse  Stories).  Dodd 
Mabie,  H.  W.  How  Thor  Found  His  Hammer.  (Norse  Stories).  Dodd 
Mabie,  H.  W.  Burning  of  the  Rice  Fields.  (Riverside  Third  Reader). 
Houghton 

Lang,  Andrew.  Ali  Baba  and  the  Forty  Robbers.  (Arabian  Nights). 
Longmans 

Lang,  Andrew.  Aladdin  and  his  Magic  Lamp.  (Arabian  Nights).  Longmans 
Olcott,  F.  J.  Bell  of  Atri.  (Good  Stories  for  Great  Holidays).  Houghton 
Andersen,  H.  C.  Flax.  (Fairy  Tales).  Various  editions 
Bailey,  C.  S.  Little  Lad  of  Long  Ago.  (For  the  Children’s  Hour).  Milton 
Bradley 

Evans,  L.  B.  Race  with  the  Flood.  (Worth  While  Stories).  Milton 
Bradley 

Thompson-Seton,  Ernest.  Origin  of  the  Bluebird.  (Wood  Myth  and 
Fable).  Century 

Eastman,  C.  A.  Badger  and  the  Bear.  (Smoky  Day’s  Wigwam  Evenings). 
Little 

Eastman,  C.  A.  Raccoon  and  the  Bee  Tree.  (Smoky  Day’s  Wigwam  Even- 
ings). Little 

Friary  & Stebbins.  Sunken  City.  (Sunken  City  and  Other  Stories). 
Little 

Alden,  R.  M.  Knights  of  the  Silver  Shield.  (Why  the  Chimes  Rang  and 
Other  Stories).  Bobbs 

Lang,  Andrew.  Enchanted  Horse.  (Arabian  Nights).  Longmans 
Evans,  L.  B.  Betty  Zane.  (Worth  While  Stories).  Milton  Bradley 
Dasent,  G.  W.  East  of  the  Sun  and  West  of  the  Moon.  (Popular  Tales 
from  the  Norse).  Putnam 


80 


2  Poems  to  be  memorized 


a Miscellaneous  poems 

Browning,  E.  B.  Child’s  Thought  of  God.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  i).  Ginn 
Carman,  Bliss.  Daisies.  (Home  Book  of  Verse).  Holt 
Loveman,  Robert.  Ajpril  Rain.  (Home  Book  of  Verse).  Holt 
Moore.  Morning  Hymn. 

Nesbit.  Song  of  the  Flag. 

Shakspere,  William.  Under  the  Greenwood  Tree.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  i). 
Ginn 

Tabb,  J.  B.  Fern  Song.  (Posy  Ring).  Houghton 

Tate,  Nahum.  While  Shepherds  Watched  Their  Flooks.  (Open  Sesame, 
v.  i ) . Ginn 

Wordsworth,  William.  To  a Butterfly.  (Listening  Child).  Macmillan 


b Grade  poet , Celia  Thaxter 


Sandpiper 
Wild  Geese 
Spring 
March 


Robin’s  Rain  Song 
The  Scarecrow 
Nikolina 
The  Sparrows 


3 Poems  to  be  read  to  the  children 

Bryant.  Planting  of  the  Apple  Tree.  (Golden  Number).  Houghton 
Carroll,  Lewis.  Walrus  and  the  Carpenter.  (Book  of  Verse  for  Children). 
Holt 

Cone,  H.  G.  Fairy  Tale. 

Cary,  Phoebe.  Leak  in  the  Dike.  (Best  Selections,  v.  5).  Penn 
Kipling,  Rudyard.  Camel’s  Hump.  (Golden  Staircase  Poems).  Putnam 
Southey,  Robert.  Inchcape  Rock.  (Poetry  for  Children).  Houghton 
Tennyson,  Alfred.  Winter.  (Listening  Child).  Macmillan 
Trowbridge,  J.  T.  Evening  at  the  Farm.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Westwood,  Thomas.  Little  Bell.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  1).  Ginn 
Whittier,  J.  G.  Red  Riding  Hood.  (Graded  Memory  Selections).  Edu- 
cational 

Wordsworth,  William.  We  Are  Seven.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 

4 Books  suggested  for  children's  reading 

Baldwin,  James.  Fifty  Famous  Stories.  Amer.  Book  Co. 

Baldwin,  James.  Thirty  Famous  Stories.  Amer.  Book  Co. 

Brown,  A.  F.  Lonesomest  Doll.  Houghton 
Brown,  H.  D.  Little  Miss  Phoebe  Gay.  Houghton 
Browne,  Francis.  Granny’s  Wonderful  Chair.  McLoughlin 
Barrie,  J.  M.  Peter  Pan  in  Kensington  Gardens;  illus.  by  Rackham. 
Scribner 

Bayliss,  Clara.  Lalomi,  the  Little  Cliff  Dweller.  Public  School 
Burnett,  F.  H.  Editha’s  Burglar.  Estes 
Burnett,  F.  H.  Sara  Crewe.  Scribner 

Burt,  M.  E.  Poems  Every  Child  Should  Know.  Doubleday 

Carroll,  Lewis.  Alice  in  Wonderland.  Various  editions 

Carroll,  Lewis.  Through  the  Looking  Glass.  Various  editions 

Carter,  M.  H.  Stories  of  Brave  Dogs.  Century 

Crommelin.  Famous  Legends.  Century 

DeFoe,  Daniel.  Robinson  Crusoe.  Various  editions 

Deming,  E.  W.  Indian  Child  Life.  Stokes 

Dopp,  K.  E.  Early  Cave  Men.  Rand 

Dopp,  K.  E.  Tree  Dwellers.  Rand 

Foster  & Cummings.  Asgard  Stories.  Silver 

Grimm,  J.  W.  L.  & W.  K.  Household  Stories.  Various  editions 

Hale,  E.  E.  Arabian  Nights.  Ginn 

Harris,  J.  C.  Little  Mr  Thimblefinger.  Houghton 


81 


Harraden,  Beatrice.  Things  Will  Take  a Turn.  Altcmus 
Hawthorne,  Nathaniel.  Wonder  Book.  Various  editions 
Henderson,  A.  C.  Andersen’s  Best  Fairy  Tales.  Rand 
Jackson,  H.  H.  Letters  from  a Cat.  Little 
Jacobs,  Joseph.  English  Fairy  Tales.  Putnam 
Jacobs,  Joseph.  More  English  Fairy  Tales.  Putnam 
Judd,  M.  C.  Wigwam  Stories.  Ginn 
Kingsley,  Charles.  Water  Babies.  Various  editions 
Kipling,  Rudyard.  Just  So  Stories.  Doubleday 
Lang,  Andrew.  Blue  True  Story  Book.  Longmans 
Mabie,  H.  W.  Norse  Stories.  Dodd 

Macdonald,  George.  Princess  and  the  Goblin.  Lippincott 

Maeterlinck,  Georgette.  Bluebird  for  Children.  Silver 

Mulock,  D.  M.  Little  Lame  Prince.  Various  editions 

Otis,  James.  Toby  Tyler.  Harper 

Perkins,  L.  F.  Eskimo  Twins.  Houghton 

Perkins,  L.  F.  Japanese  Twins.  Houghton 

Purdy,  N.  S.  Four-Leaf  Clover.  Small 

Perrault,  Charles.  Fairy  Tales.  Various  editions 

Richards,  L.  E.  Five  Little  Mice.  Estes 

Valentine,  L.  J.  Aunt  Louisa’s  Book  of  Fairy  Tales.  Warne 

Warren,  M.  L.  Manabozha,  the  Great  White  Rabbit.  Rand 

Wiggin,  K.  D.  Fairy  Ring.  Gresset 

Wiggin,  K.  D.  Story  of  Patsy.  Houghton 

Wiggin,  K.  D.  Magic  Casements.  Gresset 

Foster  & Cummings.  Osgard  Stories.  Silver 

Forty  Famous  Fairy  Tales.  Putnam 

Good  readers  suited  to  the  grade 

5 Suggested  material  for  the  use  of  teachers 

Bailey,  C.  S.  For  the  Story  Teller.  Milton  Bradley 
Bailey,  C.  S.  Stories  Children  Need.  Milton  Bradley 
Baldwin,  James.  Fifty  Famous  Stories.  Amer.  Book  Co. 

Bryant,  S.  C.  How  to  Tell  Stories.  Houghton 
Klapper,  F.  T.  Teaching  English.  Appleton 
Eastman,  C.  A.  Smoky  Day’s  Wigwam  Evenings.  Little 
Francillon,  R.  E.  Gods  and  Heroes.  Ginn 

Haliburton  & Smith.  ^Teaching  Poetry  in  the  Grades.  Houghton 

Houghton,  L.  S.  Telling  Bible  Stories.  Scribner 

Kipling,  Rudyard.  Just  So  Stories.  Doubleday 

Longfellow,  H.  W.  Poems.  Houghton 

Lovejoy,  M.  I.  Poetry  of  the  Seasons.  Silver 

Love  joy,  M I.  Nature  in  Verse.  Silver 

Lucas,  E.  V.  Book  of  Verses  for  Children.  Holt 

Olcott,  F.  J.  Good  Stories  for  Great  Holidays.  Houghton 

Shedlock,  M.  L.  Art  of  the  Story  Teller.  Appleton 

Slosson,  A.  T.  Story  Tell  “ Lib.”  Harper 

Stewart,  Mary.  Tell  Me  a True  Story.  Revell 

Tappan,  E.  M.  Old,  Old  Story  Book.  Houghton 

Thaxter,  Celia.  Poems.  Houghton 

Wiggin  & Smith.  Posy  Ring.  Houghton 

Wyche,  R.  T.  Some  Great  Stories  and  How  to  Tell  Them.  Newson 

Fifth  Grade  — First  Half  Year 

A considerable  number  of  the  poems  in  the  following  lists  should 
be  read  to  the  pupils  and  three  poems  should  be  memorized  each 
half  year  from  the  lists  indicated  for  this  purpose.  As  far  as  pos- 
sible the  poems  should  be  chosen  in  such  a way  as  to  familiarize  the 


82 


pupils  with  various  writers  of  poetry  for  little  children.  Special 
emphasis  may  well  be  placed  upon  the  grade  poet. 

The  books  starred  are  especially  recommended  for  this  grade. 


1 Stories  to  be  used  for  oral  reproduction 

Richards,  L.  E.  Golden  Windows.  (Golden  Windows).  Little 
Shedlock,  M.  L.  Hafiz,  the  Stone  Cutter.  (Art  of  the  Story  Teller). 
Appleton 

Lyman,  Edna.  Solomon,  Come  to  Judgment.  (Story  Telling).  McClurg 
Bryant,  S.  C.  Billy  Beg  and  His  Bull.  (How  to  Tell  Stories).  Houghton 
Alden,  R.  M.  Why  the  Chimes  Rang.  (Why  the  Chimes  Rang  and  Other 
Stories).  Bobbs 

Alden,  R.  M.  Brook  in  the  King’s  Garden.  (Why  the  Chimes  Rang  and 
Other  Stories).  Bobbs 

Alden,  R.  M.  Hunt  for  the  Beautiful.  (Why  the  Chimes  Rang  and  Other 
Stories).  Bobbs 

Alden,  R.  M.  In  the  Great  Walled  Country.  (Why  the  Chimes  Rang  and 
Other  Stories).  Bobbs 

Mabie,  H.  W.  How  Odin  Brought  the  Mead.  (Norse  Stories).  Dodd 
Andersen,  H.  C.  Wild  Swans.  (Fairy  Tales).  Various  editions 
Shedlock,  M.  L.  Two  Frogs.  (Art  of  the  Story  Teller).  Appleton 
Warren,  M.  L.  Robin  Hood  and  the  Queen.  (Robin  Hood).  Rand 
Bailey,  C.  S.  Nahum  Prince.  (Stories  Children  Need).  Milton  Bradley 
Evans,  L.  B.  Antonio  Canova.  (Worthwhile  Stories).  Milton  Bradley 
Stockton,  F.  R.  Old  Pipes  and  the  Dryad.  (Fanciful  Tales).  Scribner 
Stewart,  Mary.  Story  of  Joseph.  (Tell  Me  a True  Story).  Revell 
Warren,  M.  L.  King  Arthur  Stories.  (King  Arthur).  Rand 

2 Poems  to  be  memorized 


a Miscellaneous  poems 

Cunningham,  Allen.  Sea  Song.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Hemans,  F.  D.  Landing  of  the  Pilgrims.  ( Heroic  Ballads).  Ginn 

Holmes,  O.  W.  Old  Ironsides.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Jackson,  H.  H.  Down  to  Sleep.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Longfellow,  H.  W.  Builders.  (Graded  Memory  Selections).  Educational 
Milton,  John.  Evening  in  Paradise.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Preston,  M.  J.  First  Thanksgiving  Day.  (Poems  of  American  History). 
Houghton 

Southey,  Robert.  Night.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 


b Grade  poet,  John  Greenleaf  Whittier 


Barefoot  Boy 
Barbara  Frietchie 
Corn  Song 
Valuation 


Snow  Bound  (first  five  stanzas) 
In  School  Days 
Red  Squirrel 
Huskers 


3  Poems  to  be  read  to  the  children 

Carryl,  C.  E.  Cruise  of  the  Window  Blind.  (Nonsense  Anthology). 
Scribner 

Cowper,  William.  Nightingale  and  the  Glow  Worm.  (Poetry  of  the 
Seasons).  Silver 

Holmes,  O.  W.  Opening  of  the  Piano.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Longfellow,  H.  W.  Paul  Revere’s  Ride.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Phelps,  E.  S.  Did  You  Speak? 

Riley,  J.  W.  Out  to  Old  Aunt  Mary’s.  (Riley  Child  Rhymes).  Bowen 
Saxe,  J.  G.  Blind  Man  and  the  Elephant.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Taylor,  Bayard,  Night  with  a Wolf.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 


83 


Fifth  Grade  — Second  Half  Year 

1 Stories  to  be  used  for  reproduction 

Warren,  M.  L.  King  Arthur  Stories.  (King  Arthur  and  His  Knights). 
Rand 

Martin,  W.  C.  The  Winning  of  a Sword.  (Story  of  King  Arthur). 
Storytellers 

Martin,  W.  C.  Sir  Gareth,  the  Kitchen  Boy 
Martin,  W.  C.  The  ; Quest  of  the  Holy  Grail 
Martin,  W.  C.  The  Adventure  of  Launcelot  of  the  Lake 
Martin,  W.  C.  Death  of  King  Arthur 

Lanier,  Sidney.  A Great  Feast  and  a Great  Battle.  (Story  of  King 
Arthur).  Scribner 

Shedlock,  M.  L.  Arthur  in  the  Cave.  (Art  of  the  Story  Teller).  Appleton 
Bailey,  C.  S.  Kingly  Children.  (Stories  Children  Need).  Milton  Bradley 
Bryant,  S.  C.  Nightingale.  (Flow  to  Tell  Stories).  Houghton 
Scudder,  H.  E.  Flying  Dutchman.  (Book  of  Legends).  Houghton 
Bailey,  C.  S.  Princess  and  the  Pea.  (Stories  Children  Need).  Milton 
Bradley 

Bailey,  C.  S.  Cowherd  Brother.  (Stories  Children  Need).  Milton 
Bradley 

Bailey,  C.  S.  The  Greedy  Shepherd.  (Stories  Children  Need).  Milton 
Bradley 

Baldwin,  James.  Horatius  at  the  Bridge.  (Fifty  Famous  Stories).  Amer. 
Book  Co. 

Stewart,  Mary.  David  and  Goliath.  (Tell  Me  a True  Story).  Revell 
Wyche,  R.  T.  Beowulf,  who  Conquered  the  Dragon.  (Some  Great 
Stories.  Newson 

Dasent,  G.  W.  True  and  Untrue.  (Popular  Tales  from  the  Norse). 
Putnam 

Tappan,  E.  M.  Columbus  Discovers  America.  (Old  World  Heroes). 
Houghton 

Evans,  L.  B.  S.t  George  and  the  Dragon.  (Worthwhile  Stories).  Milton 
Bradley 

Jacobs,  Joseph.  King  John  and  the  Abbot  of  Canterbury.  (More  English 
Fairy  Tales).  Putnam 

2 Poems  to  be  memorized 

a Miscellaneous  poems 

Howe,  J.  W.  Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Keats,  John.  Morning.  (Poetry  of  the  Seasons).  Silver 
Kingsley,  Charles.  Farewell.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Lamb,  Charles.  Housekeeper.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Longfellow,  H.  W.  Psalm  of  Life.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Pierpont.  Warren’s  Address.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Shakspere,  William.  Good  Name  in  Man  or  Woman.  (Open  Sesame, 
v.  i).  Ginn 

Swett,  S.  M.  Blue  Jay.  (Posy  Ring).  McClure 

Tennyson,  Alfred.  Christmas.  (Household  Book  of  Poetry).  Appleton 
Wordsworth,  William.  Written  in  March.  (Analytical  Elocution).  Amer. 
Book  Co. 

b Grade  poet,  Robert  Burns 

Sweet  Afton  To  a Mountain  Daisy 

Bannockburn  Auld  Lang  Syne 

3 Poems  to  be  read  to  the  children 

Browning,  Robert.  Pied  Piper.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Cowper,  William.  John  Gilpin.  (Poetry  for  Children).  Houghton 
Johnson,  Ben.  Noble  Nature.  Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 


84 


Morris,  G.  P.  Woodman.  Spare  that  Tree.  (Golden  Poems).  McClurg 
Moore,  Thomas.  Minstrel  Boy.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Riley,  J.  W.  Knee  Deep  in  June.  (Choice  Readings).  McClurg 
Sir  Patrick  Spens.  Old  Ballad.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Tennyson,  Alfred.  Charge  of  the  Light  Brigade.  (Golden  Numbers). 
Houghton 

Trowbridge,  J.  T.  Charcoal  Man.  (Choice  Readings).  McClurg 
Whittier,  J.  G.  How  the  Robin  Came.  (Poems).  Houghton 

4 Books  suggested  for  children's  reading 

Alcott,  L.  M.  Under  the  Lilacs.  Little 

Baldwin,  James.  Hero  Tales  Told  in  School.  Scribner 

Baldwin,  James.  Old  Stories  of  the  East.  Amer.  Book  Co. 

Baldwin,  James.  Gulliver’s  Travels  Retold.  Amer.  Book  Co. 

Baylor,  F.  C.  Juan  and  Juanita.  Houghton 
Bull.  J.  B.  Fridtjof  Namsen.  Heath 

Burks,  F.  W.  Barbara’s  Philippine  Journey.  World  Book  Co. 

Burnett,  F.  H.  Little  Lord  Fauntleroy.  Scribner 

Carpenter,  E.  J.  Hellenic  Tales.  Little 

Church,  A.  J.  Uliad  for  Boys  and  Girls.  Macmillan 

Church,  A.  J.  Odyssey  for  Boys  and  Girls.  Macmillan 

DeFoe,  Daniel.  Robinson  Crusoe.  Various  editions 

Eastman,  C.  A.  Wigwam  Evenings.  Little 

Ewing,  J.  H.  Jackanapes.  Various  editions 

Gueber,  H.  A.  Legends  of  the  Middle  Ages.  Amer.  Book  Co. 

Gordy,  W.  F.  Stories  of  American  Explorers.  Scribner 

Hale,  L.  P.  Peterkin  Papers.  Houghton 

Hart,  A.  B.  Colonial  Children.  Macmillan 

Hawthorne.  Tanglewood  Tales.  Various  editions 

Holland,  R.  S.  Historic  Boyhoods.  Jacobs 

Holland,  R.  S.  Historic  Girlhoods.  Jacobs 

Kipling,  Rudyard.  Jungle  Books.  Doubleday 

Lagerlof,  S.  O.  L.  Wonderful  Adventures  of  Nils.  Doubleday 

Lang,  Andrew.  Story  of  Joan  of  Arc.  Dutton 

Lang,  Andrew.  Tales  of  Troy  and  Greece.  Longmans 

Lansing,  M.  F.  Life  in  the  Greenwood.  Ginn 

Lucas,  E.  V.  Old  Fashioned  Tales.  Stokes 

McFee,  L.  N.  Little  Tales  of  Common  Things.  Crowell 

Martin,  G.  M.  Abbie  Ann.  Century 

Otis,  James.  Toby  Tyler.  Harper 

Page,  T.  N.  Two  Little  Confederates.  Scribner 

Peabody,  J.  P.  Old  Greek  Stories.  Houghton 

Perkins,  L.  F.  Cave  Twins.  Houghton 

Perkins,  L.  F.  Irish  Twins.  Houghton 

Pier,  A.  S.  Boys  of  St  Timothy’s.  Scribner 

Pyle,  Howard.  King  Arthur  and  His  Knights.*  Scribner 

Pyle,  Katherine.  Nancy  Rutledge.  Little 

Scollard,  Clinton.  Boy’s  Book  of  Rhymes.  Browning 

Saunders,  M.  M.  Beautiful  Joe.  Amer.  Baptist 

Sewell,  Anna.  Black  Beauty.  Various  editions 

Seton-Thompson,  Ernest.  Lobo,  Rag  and  Vixen.  Scribner 

Seton-Thompson,  Ernest.  Wild  Animals  I Have  Known.  Scribner 

Spyri,  Johanna.  Heidi.  Various  editions 

Starr,  Frederick.  American  Indians.  Heath 

Stoddard,  W.  O.  Little  Smoke.  Appleton 

Tappan,  E.  M.  When  Knights  Were  Bold.  Houghton 

Tabb,  J.  B.  Child  Verse*  Small 

Wiggin,  K.  D.  Bird’s  Christmas  Carol.  Houghton 

Wiggin,  K.  D.  Timothy’s  Quest.  Houghton 

Wiggin  & Smith.  Golden  Numbers.  Doubleday 


85 


Wiggin  & Smith.  Arabian  Nights  Entertainments.  Scribner 
Wyss,  J.  D.  Swiss  Family  Robinson.  Various  editions 
Good  readers  suited  to  the  grade 

5 Suggested  material  for  the  use  o>f  teachers 

Alden,  R.  M.  Why  the  Chimes  Rang  and  Other  Stories.  Bobbs 
Andersen,  H.  C.  Fairy  Tales.  Various  editions 
Bailey,  C.  S.  Stories  Children  Need.  Milton  Bradley 
Bryant,  S.  C.  How  to  Tell  Stories.  Houghton 
Burns,  Robert.  Poems.  Houghton 

Dasent,  G.  W.  Popular  Tales  from  the  Norse.  Putnam 

Evans,  L.  B.  Worthwhile  Stories.  Milton  Bradley 

Lanier,  Sidney.  Boy’s  King  Arthur.  Scribner 

Lyman,  E.  Storytelling.  McClurg 

Mabie,  H.  W.  Norse  Stories.  Dodd 

Macleod,  Mary.  King  Arthur  and  His  Knights.  Burt 

Marshall,  H.  E.  Stories  of  Beowulf.  Dutton 

Pyle,  Howard.  Merry  Adventures  of  Robin  Hood.  Scribner 

Ragozin,  Z.  A.  Tales  of  Heroic  Ages.  Putnam 

Scudder,  H.  E.  Book  of  Legends.  Houghton 

Shedlock,  M.  L.  Art  of  the  Storyteller.  Appleton 

Stevenson,  B.  E.  Days  and  Deeds,  a Book  of  Verse.  Doubleday 

Stevenson,  B.  E.  Days  and  Deeds,  a Book  of  Prose.  Doubleday 

Stewart,  Mary.  Tell  Me  a True  Story.  Revell 

Tappan,  E.  M.  Poems  and  Rhymes,  v.  9,  Children’s  Hour.  Houghton 
Warren,  M.  L.  King  Arthur  and  His  Knights.  Rand 
Wordsworth,  William.  Poems.  Houghton 

Wyche,  R.  T.  Some  Great  Stories  and  How  to  Tell  them.  Newson 

Sixth  Grade  — First  Half  Year 

A considerable  number  of  the  poems  in  the  following  lists  should 
be  read  to  the  pupils  and  three  poems  should  be  memorized  each 
half  year  from  the  lists  indicated  for  this  purpose.  As  far  as  pos- 
sible the  poems  should  be  chosen  in  such  a way  as  to  familiarize  the 
pupils  with  various  writers  of  poetry  for  little  children.  Special 
emphasis  may  well  be  placed  upon  the  grade  poet. 

The  books  starred  are  especially  recommended  for  this  grade. 

1 Stories  to  be  used  for  reproduction 

Martin,  W.  C.  The  Adventures  of  Tristram.  (Story  of  King  Arthur). 
Storyteller 

Martin,  W.  C.  Adventures  of  Geraint  with  the  Sparrow  Hawk.  (Story  of 

King  Arthur).  Storyteller 

Martin,  W.  C.  Coming  of  Galahad.  (Story  of  King  Arthur).  Storyteller 
Martin,  W.  C.  Passing  of  Arthur.  (Story  of  King  Arthur).  Storyteller 
Bryant,  S.  C.  Fulfilled,  Legend  of  Christmas  Eve.  (How  to  Tell  Stories). 
Houghton 

Bailey,  C.  S.  Robert  of  Sicily.  (Stories  Children  Need).  Milton  Bradley 

Wilde.  Happy  Prince.  (Happy  Prince).  Various  editions 

Lyman,  Edna.  Monk  and  the  Bird’s  Song.  (Story  Telling).  McClure 

Lyman,  Edna.  Where  Love  Is.  (Story  Telling).  McClure 

Bryant,  S.  C.  Leak  in  the  Dike.  (How  to  Toll  Stories).  Houghton 

Olcott,  F.  J.  Nail.  (Good  Stories).  Houghton 

Andersen,  H.  C.  Pine  Tree.  (Fairy  Tales).  Various  editions 


86 


Tappan,  E.  M.  Christmas  Surprise.  (American  Hero  Stories).  Houghton 
Gallaher,  J.  L.  Lincoln’s  Kindness  to  a Disabled  Soldier.  (Best  Lincoln 
Stories).  Donohue 

Kipling,  Rudyard.  Camel’s  Hump.  (Stories  and  Poems  Every  Child 
Should  Know).  Houghton 

Scudder,  H.  E.  Image  and  the  Treasurer.  (Book  of  Legends).  Houghton 
Olcott,  F.  J.  Master  of  the  Harvest.  (Good  Stories).  Houghton 
Irving,  W.  Rip  Van  Winkle.  (Sketch  Book).  Putnam 
Alden,  R.  M.  Bag  of  Smiles.  (Why  the  Chimes  Rang).  Bobbs 
Sly,  W.  J.  Mayflower  and  the  Pilgrims.  (World  Stories  Retold).  Jacobs 

2 Poems  to  be  memorized 

a Miscellaneous  selections 

DeLisle,  Roger.  Translation  of  the  Marseillaise.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  2). 
Ginn 

Emerson,  R.  W.  Concord  Hymn.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Hunt,  Leigh.  Abou  Ben  Adhem.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  i).  Ginn 
R^ey,  J.  W.  Boy  Patriot.  (Book  of  Joyous  Children).  Scribner 
Sangster,  M.  E.  Our  Flag 

Shakspere,  William.  Orpheus  with  his  Lute.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Stevenson,  R.  L.  At  Morning.  (Recitations  for  Assembly  and  Classroom). 
Macmillan 

Tennyson,  Alfred.  Throstle.  (Songs  of  Nature).  McClure 
Van  Dyke,  Henry.  America  for  Me. 

b Grade  poet,  Rudyard  Kipling 

Children’s  Song  from  Puck  of  Pook’s  Hill 
If 

Together 

L’Envoi  “ When  earth’s  last  picture  is  painted  ” 

Law  of  the  Jungle 
Roll  down  to  Rio 
White  Man’s  Burden 

3 Poems  to  be  read  to  the  children 

Adams,  J.  Q.  Wants  of  Man.  (Emerson’s  Parnassus).  Houghton 
Cornwall,  Barry.  Sea.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Emerson,  R.  W.  Snowstorm.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Gilbert,  W.  S.  Yarn  of  the  Nancy  Bell.  (Steps  to  Oratory).  Amer. 
Book  Co. 

Whittier,  J.  G.  Pipes  at  Lucknow.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Proctor,  A.  A.  Legend  of  Bregenz.  (Heroic  Ballads).  Ginn 
Montgomery,  James.  Arnold  Winkelried.  (Arbor  Day  Manual).  Bardeen 
Montgomery,  James.  Chevy  Chase.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Stedman,  E.  C.  Hand  of  Lincoln.  (American  Anthology).  Houghton 
Wordsworth,  William.  Lucy  Gray.  (Posy  Ring).  Houghton 

Sixth  Grade  — Second  Half  Year 

i Stories  to  be  used  for  reproduction 

Bryant,  S.  C.  Last  Lesson.  (How  to  Tell  Stories).  Houghton 
Shedlock.  Blue  Rose.  (Art  of  Telling  Stories).  Appleton 
Ruskin,  John.  King  of  the  Golden  River.  (King  of  the  Golden  River). 
Various  editions 

Bates,  K.  L.  Chanticleer  and  the  Fox.  (Canterbury  Tales).  Rand 
Olcott,  F.  J.  Revenge  of  Coriolanus.  (Good  Stories).  Houghton 
Coe,  F.  E.  Feast  of  the  Lanterns.  (Second  Book  of  Stories).  Houghton 


87 


Baldwin,  James.  Master  of  the  Land.  (Old  Stories  of  the  East).  Amer. 
Book  Co. 

Baldwin,  James.  Harvest  of  the  Nile.  (Old  Stories  of  the  East).  Amer. 
Book  Co. 

Baldwin,  James.  Shepherd  Boy  Who  Became  King.  (Old  Stories  of  the 
East).  Amer.  Book  Co. 

Wiggin  & Smith.  Story  of  Aladdin.  (Arabian  Nights).  Scribner 
Rouse,  W.  H.  D.  Story  of  Aladdin.  (Arabian  Nights).  Dutton 
Lang,  Andrew.  Story  of  Aladdin.  (Arabian  Nights’  Entertainments). 
Longmans 

Tappan,  E.  M.  Stories  from  the  Odyssey.  (Old  World  Hero  Stories). 
Houghton 

Church,  A.  J.  Stories  from  the  Odyssey.  (Stories  from  Homer).  Crowell 
Church,  A.  J.  Stories  from  the  Odyssey.  (Odyssey  for  Boys  and  Girls). 
Macmillan 

Marvin,  F.  S.  (Adventures  of  Odysseus).  Dutton 

Baldwin,  James.  Story  of  George  Washington.  (Four  Great  Americans). 
Amer.  Book  Co. 

Gordy,  W.  F.  Story  of  George  Washington.  (American  Leaders  and 
Heroes).  Scribner 

Holland,  R.  W.  Story  of  George  Washington.  (Historic  Boyhoods). 

Jacobs 

Baldwin,  James.  Stories  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  (Four  Great  Americans). 
Amer.  Book  Co. 

Bolton,  Sarah.  Stories  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  (Poor  Boys  Who  Became 
Famous).  Crowell 

Holland,  R.  W.  Stories  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  (Historic  Boyhoods). 

Jacobs 

Kingsley,  Charles.  Stories  of  Theseus.  (Heroes).  Various  editions 
Baldwin,  James.  Crossing  the  Rubicon.  (Thirty  More  Famous  Stories). 
Amer.  Book  Co. 

Tappan,  E.  M.  Caesar,  the  First  Emperor.  (Old  World  Hero  Stories). 
Houghton 

Jacobs,  Joseph.  Miller,  His  Son  and  Their  Donkey.  (English  Fairy 
Tales).  Putnam 

Bailey  & Lewis.  Little  Cosette.  (For  the  Children’s  Hour).  Milton 
Bradley 

Olcott,  F.  J.  Thunder  Oak.  (Good  Stories  for  Great  Holidays).  Houghton 
2 Poems  to  be  used  for  appreciative  study  and  memorizing 
a Miscellaneous  poems 

Aldrich,  T.  B.  Before  the  Rain.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Bennett,  H.  H.  Flag  Goes  By.  Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Bryant,  W.  C.  To  a Fringed  Gentian.*  (Poems).  Various  editions 
Bryant,  W.  C.  Yellow  Violet.  (Poems).  Various  editions 
Byron,  Lord.  Destruction  of  Sennacherab.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Cary,  Alice.  Work.  (Nature  in  Verse).  Silver 

Finch,  F.  M.  Blue  and  the  Gray.  (Poems  of  American  Patriotism).  Page 
Longfellow,  H.  W.  Excelsior.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Taylor.  Dare  to  Do  Right 

Wotton,  Henry.  Lord  of  Himself.  (Lyra  Heroica).  Scribner 

b Grade  poet,  Sir  Walter  Scott 

Hie  Away  from  Waverly 

Soldier  Rest  (from  the  Lady  of  the  Lake) 

Lochinvar  (from  Marmion) 

Jock  O’  Hazeldean 

Spindle  Song  (from  Guy  Mannering) 

Waken  Lords  and  Ladies  Gay 
Christmas  in  England  (from  Marmion) 

Parting  of  Douglas  and  Marmion 


3 Poems  to  be  read  to  the  children 

Cary,  Alice.  Pictures  of  Memory.  (Choice  Readings).  McClurg 
Emerson,  R.  W.  Rhodora.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Goldsmith,  Oliver.  Deserted  Village.  (Poems).  Harpers 
Holmes,  O.  W.  Height  of  the  Ridiculous.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Lowell,  J.  R.  What  Is  so  Rare  as  a Day  in  June?  (Poems).  Houghton 
Longfellow,  H.  W.  Wreck  of  the  Hesperus.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Longfellow,  H.  W.  Santa  Filomena.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Kipling,  Rudyard.  Song  of  the  Banjo.  (Stories  and  Poems  Every  Child 
Should  Know).  Houghton 

Kipling,  Rudyard.  Fuzzy  Wuzzy.  (Stories  and  Poems  Every  Child 
Should  Know).  Houghton 

Kipling,  Rudyard.  Lord  Lovel.  (Listening  Child).  Macmillan 

4 Books  suggested  for  children's  reading 

Aanrud,  Hans.  Lisbeth  Longfrock.  Ginn 

Alcott,  L.  M.  Little  Men.  Little 

Alcott,  L.  M.  Little  Women.  Little 

Aldrich,  T.  B.  Story  of  a Bad  Boy.  Houghton 

Baldwin,  James.  Sampo.  Scribner 

Barbour,  R.  H.  Crimson  Sweater.  Century 

Burroughs,  John.  Squirrels  and  Other  Fur  Bearers.  Houghton 

Diaz,  A.  M.  William  Henry  Letters.  Lothrop 

Dodge,  M.  M.  Donald  and  Dorothy.  Century 

Eggleston,  Edward.  Hoosier  Schoolboy.  Scribner 

Eastman,  C.  A.  Indian  Scout  Tales.  Little 

Frost,  W.  H.  Knights  of  the  Round  Table.  Scribner 

Grant,  Robert.  Jack  Hall.  Scribner 

Hayes,  I.  I.  Cast  Away  in  the  Cold.  Lothrop 

Jackson,  H.  H.  Nelly’s  Silver  Mine.  Little 

Jewett,  S.  O.  Betty  Leicester.  Houghton 

Jewett,  S.  O.  White  Heron.  Houghton 

Johnson,  Rossiter.  Phaeton  Rogers.  Scribner 

Kingsley,  Charles.  Water  Babies  (told  by  Amy  Stcedman).  McLoughlin 

Lamb,  Charles  & Mary.  Tales  of  Shakespeare.  Various  editions 

Lang,  Andrew.  Blue  Poetry  Book.  Longmans 

Long,  W.  J.  Secrets  of  the  Woods.  Ginn 

MacDonald,  George.  Light  Princess.  Putnam 

Nicolay.  Boy’s  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln 

Munro.  Campmates 

Pyle.  King  Arthur  and  His  Knights 

Pyle.  Otto  of  the  Silver  Hand 

Thurston.  Torch  Bearer 

Wiggin  & Smith.  Arabian  Nights’  Entertainments 
Good  readers  suited  to  the  grade 

5 Suggested  material  for  teachers 

Baldwin,  James.  Golden  Age 

Bailey,  C.  S.  Stories  Children  Need.  Milton  Bradley 
Bryant,  S.  C.  How  to  Tell  Stories.  Houghton 
Bates,  K.  L.  Canterbury  Tales 

Church,  A.  J.  The  Odyssey  for  Boys  and  Girls.  Macmillan 
Kipling,  Rudyard.  (Stories  and  Poems  Every  Child  Should  Know). 
Houghton 

Kipling,  Rudyard.  Jungle  Books.  Doubleday 
Kipling,  Rudyard.  Kipling  Reader.  Doubleday 
Lyman,  Edna.  Story  Telling.  McClurg 
Olcott,  F.  J.  Good  Stories.  Houghton 
Scott,  Walter.  Poems 


89 


Stevenson,  B.  E.  Days  and  Deeds,  ; 
Stevenson,  B.  E.  Days  and  Deeds, 
Tappan,  E.  M.  Poems  and  Rhymes. 
Wiggin  & Smith.  Golden  Numbers. 


Book  of  Verse 
Book  of  Prose 
Houghton 
Houghton 


90 


CHARACTER  OF  ENGLISH  INSTRUCTION  IN  THE 
SEVENTH  AND  EIGHTH  GRADES 

Whether  or  not  grades  I to  6,  and  grades  7—8  are  organized 
separately,  there  should  be  a distinct  difference  between  the  general 
character  and  purpose  of  English  instruction  in  these  divisions  of 
the  school  system.  Differences  in  the  instruction  and  organization 
of  the  elementary  school  (grades  1-6)  and  the  intermediate  school 
(grades  7- 9),  arising  from  the  changing  nature  and  interests  of  the 
child  and  from  economic  pressure,  are  familiar  to  all  students  of 
educational  problems.  There  is  a natural  division  in  English  teach- 
ing corresponding  to  this  accepted  principle  of  school  organization. 

The  joint  committee  on  the  reorganization  of  high  school  English 
appointed  by  the  National  Education  Association  and  by  the 
National  Council  of  English  Teachers  has  prepared  the  following 
statement  of  what  “ normal  children  may  be  expected  to  do  when 
they  have  reached  the  close  of  the  sixth  grade.” 

1 To  express  clearly  and  consecutively,  either  in  speech  or  in  writing, 
ideas  which  are  entirely  familiar  to  them. 

2 To  avoid,  both  in  speech  and  in  writing,  gross  incorrectness  of  grammar. 

3 To  compose  and  mail  a letter,  using  a form  acceptable  for  general 
purposes. 

4 To  spell  the  vocabulary  which  they  commonly  write  and  to  make  sure 
of  new  or  doubtful  words. 

5 To  read  silently  and  after  one  reading  to  reproduce  the  substance  of 

a simple  story,  news  item,  or  lesson. 

6 To  read  aloud  readily  and  intelligibly  news  items  from  the  school  paper, 
lessons  from  the  textbooks  being  used,  or  literature  of  such  difficulty  as 
“ Paul  Revere’s  Ride  ” or  Dickens’  “ Christmas  Carol.” 

7 To  quote  accurately  and  understanding^  several  short  poems,  such  as 
Bennett’s  “ The  Flag  Goes  By  ” and  Emerson’s  “ The  Mountain  and  the 
Squirrel.” 

8 To  make  intelligent  use  of  ordinary  reference  books. 

Everyone  will  understand  that  such  an  outline  is  in  no  sense  to  be 
regarded  as  a course  of  study  in  English  nor  as  a complete  summary  of  all 
that  children  should  and  do  gain  from  the  study  of  reading  and  composition. 
The  more  fundamental  and  far-reaching  results,  which  can  be  expressed 
only  in  terms  of  character,  are  here  only  implied.  They  come,  moreover, 
if  they  come  at  all,  from  the  entire  life  of  the  school,  not  from  a single 
study.  Nevertheless,  teachers  of  experience  will  see  at  a glance  that  it  will 
require  a well-organized  and  efficiently  administered  course  to  establish,  not 
merely  in  the  exceptional  child,  but  in  all  normal  children,  the  habits  set 
forth  in  the  eight  items  mentioned  above.  For  the  true  test  of  such  habits 
is  that  they  assert  themselves  regularly,  not  merely  under  the  special  con- 
ditions of  a school  examination. 

The  work  outlined  in  this  syllabus  for  grades  1-6  leads  directly 
to  the  attainments  specified  in  the  preceding  paragraphs  with  the 
exception  of  the  attainments  in  spelling  and  reading.  Courses  of 


91 


study  in  these  subjects  are  not  at  present  included  in  this  syllabus. 
The  course  in  oral  and  written  composition  will  under  normal  con- 
ditions give  the  ability  to  express  familiar  ideas  clearly  and  con- 
secutively in  speech  or  writing.  Incidental  drill  in  connection  with 
composition  and  drill  in  corrective  English  as  indicated  from  grade 
to  grade  will  lead  the  pupil  to  avoid  gross  incorrectness  of  grammar. 
The  minimum  requirements  of  the  fourth,  fifth  and  sixth  grades 
include  the  writing  of  simple  letters  according  to  a form  acceptable 
for  general  purposes.  Oral  and  silent  reading  with  reproduction 
of  thought  of  the  degree  of  difficulty  indicated,  the  memorizing  of 
poetry  and  the  use  of  ordinary  reference  books  are  all  a part  of  the 
course  of  study  as  outlined. 

The  attainments  in  composition  and  literature  outlined  in  pre- 
ceding paragraphs  as  minimum  requirements  are  confined  to  small 
units  of  speech  or  writing  and  of  reading.  The  child  who  can  com- 
pose orally  or  in  writing  a paragraph  of  medium  length  and  read 
understandingly  and  appreciatively  a simple  poem  or  prose  article 
of  a few  verses  or  pages  respectively  is  considered  to  have  com- 
pleted the  minimum  requirements  of  the  sixth  grade  in  language 
and  literature.  He  is  not  yet  ready,  however,  to  deal  with  extensive 
units  of  composition  or  of  reading.  He  has,  so  to  speak,  barely 
learned  to  use  English  as  a tool  in  expressing  his  own  thoughts  or 
in  grasping  the  thoughts  expressed  by  others  in  writing. 

The  English  work  of  the  seventh  and  eighth  years  in  composition 
and  in  literature  is  to  compose  and  to  read  in  increasingly  larger 
units,  to  apply  more  and  more  extensively  the  fundamental  ability 
to  read  and  to  compose  small  units,  which  was  acquired  in  the 
earlier  grades.  In  composition  this  means  the  development  of  power 
in  handling  subjects  which  require  more  careful  organization,  and 
treatment  in  some  instances  at  least  in  more  than  one  paragraph. 
In  reading  or  literature  it  means  the  reading  of  more  and  longer 
works  which  continue,  however,  to  be  simple  in  thought  and  in 
organization.  To  correspond  to  the  broadening  interests  of  the 
developing  children  of  the  upper  grades  or  the  intermediate  school 
a wider  range  of  subjects  is  introduced  in  the  reading  of  these  years. 
This  corresponds  also  to  the  accepted  purposes  of  the  intermediate 
school  to  continue  necessary  drill  upon  fundamentals  but  to  keep 
the  child  in  school  at  this  critical  time  by  presenting  interesting 
content  and  to  offer  him  wide  choice  of  subject  matter  with  the 
purpose  of  helping  him  find  himself. 


In  the  intermediate  school  should  come  also  whatever  of  formal 
grammar  is  to  be  taught.  This  should  grow  naturally  out  of  the 
incidental  drill  on  correct  forms  in  composition  and  the  corrective 
English  as  outlined  in  the  course  of  study  for  the  elementary  schools. 
It  should  be  supplemented  by  application  to  more  difficult  construc- 
tions in  the  high  school. 

In  general  the  fundamental  purposes  of  English  instruction  in 
the  elementary  school  (1-6),  the  intermediate  school  (7-9)  and  the 
high  school  (10-12)  seem  to  be  respectively  (1)  to  teach  the  use 
of  English  as  a tool;  (2)  to  afford  practice  in  the  use  of  this  tool 
extensively  but  simply;  (3)  to  afford  practice  in  the  use  of  this  tool 
in  more  complex  and  difficult  workmanship,  always  with  due  regard 
to  expression  of  the  pupil’s  real  self,  and  the  development  of  his 
appreciation  of  the  interesting,  the  beautiful  and  the  good  in  life  as 
interpreted  by  literature. 


93 


ORAL  AND  WRITTEN  COMPOSITION,  CORRECTIVE 
ENGLISH  AND  GRAMMAR,  GRADES  7 AND  8 

Seventh  Year 

The  introductory  sections  on  the  teaching  of  composition  and 
corrective  English  (pages  4-19)  and  the  section  on  grammar  (page 
60)  are  to  be  considered  a part  of  the  course  of  study  for  this  year. 
Teachers  should  familiarize  themselves  with  the  outlines  for  pre- 
ceding grades. 


1 To  encourage  pupils  to  talk 
freely  on  account  of  genuine  in- 
terest, but  always  with  a definite 
and  clearly  formed  plan  in  the 
mind  of  the  teacher  for  improv- 
ing their  use  of  language. 

2 To  require  equally  good 
English  in  all  classes. 

3 To  develop  distinct  articu- 
lation, a pleasing  tone,  correct 
posture  and  freedom  from  self- 
consciousness. 

4 To  require  complete  sen- 
tences. 

5 To  eliminate  the  errors  in 
speech  assigned  for  correction 
in  this  year  and  to  emphasize  the 
correct  forms  drilled  upon  in 
preceding  years. 

6 To  strengthen  the  sentence 
sense  and  discourage  the  super- 
fluous use  of  and,  then  and  so, 
but  with  a definite  effort  to  se- 
cure proper  transition  as  a means 
of  increasing  fluency. 

7 To  continue  emphasizing  or- 
derly arrangement  of  sentence 
material  with  much  attention  to 


Written 

1 To  secure  mastery  of  the 
technicalities  assigned  for  this 
year  and  to  emphasize  those  al- 
ready taught. 

2 To  require  equally  good 
written  English  in  all  classes  in 
which  writing  is  done. 

3 To  insist  upon  neatness, 
good  arrangement,  good  pen- 
manship and  correct  spelling  in 
all  written  work. 

4 To  secure  the  sentence  sense 
and  strengthen  the  paragraph 
sense  by  requiring  numerous 
brief  compositions  each  of 
which  should  show  a definite  be- 
ginning, middle  and  end. 

5 To  continue  developing  the 
ability  to  write  and  address  short 
familiar  or  business  letters. 
These  should  show  an  increase 
in  difficulty  of  assignment  over 
those  written  in  the  preceding 
year. 


94 


Oral  Written 

developing  ability  to  stick  to  the 
point  and  to  show  a definite  be- 
ginning, middle  and  end. 

8 To  cultivate  the  desire  to 
speak  well. 

Minimum  Requirements 

(The  term  “minimum  requirement”  indicates  the  least  that  should  be 
accepted  as  satisfactory  at  the  end  of  the  specified  year.  Pages  17-18 
should  be  read  in  connection  with  the  statement  of  minimum  requirements 
for  this  grade.) 

1 Eight  well-constructed  sen- 
tences on  a familiar  topic  ar- 
ranged in  logical  order  and 
showing  no  errors  of  any  kind, 
the  whole  having  a definite  be- 
ginning, middle  and  end. 

2 The  recitation  from  mem- 
ory, with  clear,  distinct  voice  and 
intelligent  expression,  of  any 
two  selections  of  moderate  length 
memorized  during  the  year. 

3 The  ability  to  read  aloud 
clearly  and  intelligently  selec- 
tions from  the  literature  as- 
signed for  this  year. 

Sources  of  material: 

Good  citizenship 
Personal  responsibility,  courtesy 
Noteworthy  national  and  foreign  events 
Current  inventions  and  discoveries 
Articles  read  in  periodicals 
Ethics,  good  manners  and  good  form 

Literature,  history,  natural  science,  gardening,  shop  work 
Picture  study 
Dramatization 
Original  stories  and  poems 
Anecdotes,  jokes 
Personal  experiences 
Reports  of  local  events 
Model  letters  and  coni]  rations 


1 Eight  well-constructed  sen- 
tences on  a familiar  topic, 
grouped  into  paragraphs  if  the 
nature  of  the  subject  requires, 
written  without  errors. 

2 A friendly  or  business  let- 
ter, addressed  and  written  with- 
out errors. 


95 


Lectures,  concerts,  good  plays  or  moving  pictures 

Current  events 

Biographies 

Arguments 

Book  reviews 

Socialized  recitations 

Oral  Composition  — First  Half  Year 
See  fifth  and  sixth  years. 

One  period  a week  should  be  devoted  to  formal  talks  given  by 
pupils  before  the  class.  These  talks  should  be  carefully  prepared 
but  should  not  be  memorized,  though  it  is  permissible  to  memorize 
a closing  sentence  to  avoid  a weak  ending. 

The  habit  of  correct  oral  expression  must  be  formed  through  all 
recitations  and  not  through  language  alone.  Pupils  should  learn 
that  their  statements  must  be  definite  and  complete.  The  teacher 
should  rarely  supply  part  of  the  pupil’s  answer  or  statement  and 
should  not  in  this  or  other  grades  encourage  indistinct  speech  by 
repeating  pupils’  answers.  Application  of  simple  grammatical  prin- 
ciples to  common  errors  of  speech  should  be  made  whenever  pos- 
sible. A short  period  each  day  should  be  devoted  to  corrective  drills 
and  exercises.  It  is  well  to  drill  not  only  upon  the  correct  form  of 
expressions  misused,  but  also  to  teach  the  use  of  convenient  expres- 
sions ; as,  nevertheless,  on  the  other  hand,  other  things  being  equal, 
as  a rule,  etc.  These  may  be  saved  as  they  occur  in  reading  lessons. 
(See  page  n.) 

There  should  also  be  class  discussion  of  slang,  its  origin  and 
influence  upon  language.  The  fact  that  its  frequent  use  usually 
indicates  an  impoverished  vocabulary  should  be  emphasized. 

The  class  in  or  out  of  school  may  constitute  a “ Better  Speech 
Club  ” with  a weekly  meeting  at  which  speech  errors  noted  at  home, 
at  school,  or  in  the  street,  may  be  commented  upon  and  corrected. 
The  names  of  the  persons  who  made  the  errors  should  not,  of 
course,  be  mentioned.  The  club  should  have  officers  and  the  club 
meeting  should  be  properly  conducted.  A committee  may  be 
appointed  each  week  to  collect  errors.  Other  members  who  note 
errors  may  turn  them  over  to  the  committee.  The  propriety  of 
expressions  about  which  there  is  doubt  may  be  discussed.  Voice 
and  posture  errors  should  receive  their  share  of  comment.  Such 
a club  may  be  formed  in  any  of  the  grammar  grades  and,  under  the 
guidance  of  an  able  teacher,  can  do  valuable  work. 


96 


Pupils  should  assist  in  arranging  programs  for  special  days  and 
occasions.  An  appointed  committee  may  be  allowed  to  arrange  a 
program  without  the  assistance  of  the  teacher,  though  it  should  be 
submitted  to  her  for  final  approval. 

The  exercise  in  the  reproduction  of  articles  after  only  one  read- 
ing should  be  continued.  This  gives  good  training  in  attention  and 
concentration. 

Oral  reproduction  from  outlines  should  be  given  without  assist- 
ance from  the  teacher.  Pupils  should  criticize  one  another’s  work. 
Dependence  upon  the  teacher  should  be  discouraged. 

The  following  suggestions  for  oral  invention  are  in  addition  to 
those  given  earlier  in  the  course : 

1 The  amplification  of  a fable,  a proverb,  a newspaper  headline. 

2 The  elaboration  of  a topic  chosen  from  some  other  course  of 
study ; as,  an  imaginary  meeting  with  some  noted  character  in  his- 
tory or  fiction,  the  story  of  a loaf  of  bread,  the  story  of  an  oak 
table,  etc. 

Continue  vocal  drill  and  declamation. 

Written  Composition  — First  Half  Year 

Continue  work  of  the  sixth  year.  In  this  year  there  should  be 
less  written  reproduction  than  formerly,  but  an  increased  amount 
of  original  work.  Pupils  should  be  required  to  give  orally  and  in 
writing  condensations  or  summaries  of  articles  they  have  read. 

Assignments  for  written  invention  should  usually  be  made  from 
topics  that  have  previously  been  discussed  in  oral  lessons.  How- 
ever, not  all  oral  exercises  will  be  continued  in  writing,  and  fre- 
quently pupils  will  be  asked  to  write  rapid  spontaneous  articles  on 
familiar  topics  without  immediate  oral  preparation.  The  opening 
paragraph  or  paragraphs  of  an  interesting  bit  of  literature  may  be 
read  and  the  pupils  requested  to  finish  it. 

Letter  writing  should  include  various  kinds  of  informal  social 
correspondence  as  suggested  in  the  introduction.  Letters  written 
in  one  lesson  may  be  answered  in  another.  Pupils  may  write  from 
the  point  of  view  of  another  person;  a character  in  history  or 
fiction,  or  one  living  in  a foreign  land.  Letters  may  include  simple 
descriptions,  persuasion,  or  explanations  of  processes;  as,  (i)  a girl 
writes  to  an  uncle  she  has  never  seen,  describing  herself  so  that 
her  uncle  will  be  able  to  recognize  her  at  a railway  station ; (2)  a boy 
writes  to  a friend  telling  him  how  to  raise  celery ; (3)  a boy  at  board- 


97 


ing  school  writes  to  his  mother  a letter  in  which  he  tries  to  per- 
suade her  to  let  him  play  football. 

Numerous  business  letters  should  be  written;  as,  a letter  applying 
for  a position,  a letter  ordering  goods,  a letter  asking  for  the  cor- 
rection of  an  error  in  the  filling  of  an  order,  etc. 

Some  outlining  should  now  be  done  independently. 

Continue  copying,  dictation  and  writing  from  memory. 

Technicalities : 

1 Arrangement 

The  outline 

2 Language 

a Capitals 
Review 

b Punctuation 

Semicolon  before  introduction  to  an  example ; as, 
Colon  before  a list  of  particulars 

3 Use  of  dictionary  and  reference  books 

a Abbreviations  used  in  defining  words ; as,  a.,  v.,  adv., 
v.  t.,  v.  i.,  conj.,  sing.,  plu. 

b Exercises  in  opening  dictionary  promptly  to  a given 
word 

( i ) The  dictionary  may  be  divided  roughly  into  thirds 
by  the  following  rhyme : A to  E,  F to  P,  Q to  Z. 

c Syllabication  (pupils  should  have  had  much  practice  in 
the  spelling  classes  in  dividing  words  orally  into 
syllables.) 

Oral  Composition  — Second  Half  Year 

See  first  half  year. 

There  should  be  continuation  and  enlargement  of  all  previous 
practices  in  good  usage,  with  the  purpose  of  establishing  the  pupil 
as  firmly  as  possible,  in  acceptable  speech  habits.  Give  special 
attention  to  the  elimination  of  redundant  introductory  words;  as, 
now,  why,  say,  listen. 

The  weekly  informal  talks  should  be  continued.  There  may  be 
occasionally  some  simple  work  in  debate,  the  topics  suggested  by 
history,  current  events  or  school  life.  To  save  time  and  promote 
courtesy,  a few  simple  parliamentary  rules  should  be  taught. 

There  should  be  informal  discussions  of  those  rules  of  courtesy 
and  simple  rules  of  etiquette  which  the  average  child  in  this  grade 
needs  to  know : good  manners  and  simple  good  form  at  school,  on 
4 


98 


the  street,  in  church,  in  the  theater  or  lecture  hall,  on  a train  or 
trolley  car,  at  home,  at  table,  at  a party,  on  a visit.  Children  are 
conventional.  They  desire  to  know  “ the  proper  thing  to  do,”  but 
are  timid  about  asking;  so  that  class  discussion  of  the  foregoing 
topics  will  do  more  than  merely  provide  interesting  material  for 
oral  composition. 

Written  Composition  — Second  Half  Year 

Continue  the  work  of  the  first  half  year,  with  some  increase  in 
difficulty  of  assignments.  This  does  not  necessarily  mean  an  increase 
in  length  of  written  exercises.  Short,  frequent  themes  should  be 
the  rule.  Quality  is  to  be  sought,  not  quantity. 

Technicalities : 
i Language 

a Punctuation 

( 1 ) Comma  to  separate  parts  of  a compound  sentence 

(2)  Commas  to  separate  parenthetical  expressions 

from  rest  of  the  sentence 
b Abbreviations 

1.,  p.,  pp.,  ch.,  vs. 

Types  of  Compositions 

These  type  compositions  are  merely  illustrative.  They  are  not 
designed  for  use  in  the  classroom  so  far  as  their  content  is  con- 
cerned. The  letter  forms  shown  below  may,  however,  be  used  as 
models. 

Oral 

A War  Garden 

There  is  a war  garden  in  the  field  beside  our  school.  We  have 
played  ball  in  this  field  ever  since  the  school  was  built,  so  we  were 
sorry  to  see  it  plowed  up.  The  president  of  the  board  of  education 
sent  us  a message  that  we  were  not  to  injure  the  garden.  He  need 
not  have  done  that.  Everyone  in  this  school  knows  enough  to  keep 
out  of  a garden  unless  he  can  help  in  it.  Even  the  kindergarten 
children  know  that.  We  are  all  interested  in  seeing  the  vegetables 
grow. 

A Lesson  for  Tommy 

Ever  since  I was  seven  years  old  I have  made  all  the  beds  in  our 
house.  There  are  five  beds.  I can  do  it  very  quickly  now,  but  when 
I was  little  it  was  hard  to  reach  across  the  big  beds  and  make  them 
smooth.  My  brothers  sleep  together.  Once  when  I had  made  their 
bed  nicely,  Tommy  hopped  right  into  the  middle  and  stirred  it  all 


99 


up.  After  he  had  gone  I made  the  bed  over.  I made  Ned’s  side  all 
nice  and  smooth  but  left  Tommy’s  side  even  worse  looking  than  he 
had.  He  laughed  about  it,  but  I think  it  taught  him  a lesson. 

Written 

A Letter  Describing  the  Writer 

432  Midland  Avenue 

Edgemere,  New  York 

October  18,  1918 

Dear  Uncle  John: 

You  are  very  kind  to  offer  to  meet  me,  since  Auntie  can  not. 
Since  you  have  never  seen  me,  I will  tell  you  how  I shall  look  so 
that  you  may  know  me  at  the  station.  It  would  be  dreadful  if  you 
took  the  wrong  girl  home  and  gave  her  all  the  good  times  you  have 
promised  me. 

I am  small  for  thirteen  and  rather  thin.  My  hair  and  eyes  are 
brown,  and  my  nose  has  brown  freckles  to  match.  My  mouth  is 
rather  big,,  but  I have  nice  teeth.  I shall  wear  a dark  blue  hat  with 
a pink  rose  on  it,  a blue  serge  dress,  pink  coral  beads,  and  high 
brown  shoes.  My  travelling  bag  is  brown. 

Mother  sends  love  to  you  and  auntie,  and  I do,  too. 


Your  affectionate  niece 


Address  on  envelop 


Mr  John  G.  Curtiss 
50  Norwood  Avenue 
Newton  Center 
Massachusetts 


Marian  Carter 


A Letter  of  Application 


Messrs  Davis  & Lord 
976  Main  St. 

White  Plains,  N.  Y. 


576  Church  St. 

White  Plains,  N.  Y. 
June  30,  1918 


Gentlemen : 

Please  consider  me  an  applicant  for  the  position  of  office  boy 
which  you  advertised  in  last  night’s  “ Standard.” 

I am  fourteen  years  of  age  and  am  a graduate  of  the  Ferris 
School.  My  last  report  card,  which  I inclose,  shows  my  standing 


100 


in  spelling  and  arithmetic.  This  letter  is  a specimen  of  my  pen- 
manship. As  to  experience,  for  the  past  two  summers  I have 
worked  for  the  Redmond  Drug  Co. 

I have  permission  to  refer  you  to  Miss  Rose  Burton,  principal  of 
the  Ferris  School,  and  to  Mr  Ralph  C.  Leslie,  manager  of  the 
Redmond  Drug  Co. 

I hope  you  will  consider  my  application  favorably. 

Very  truly  yours 

Michael  L.  Alberts 

Address  on  envelop 
Messrs  Davis  and  Lord 

976  Main  St. 

White  Plains,  N.  Y. 

A Trying  Moment 

I usually  study  my  lessons  but  if  I fail  to  do  so  I am  almost 
always  caught.  One  day  I had  not  prepared  anything  for  the  oral 
English  period.  The  reason  for  this  seemed  more  important  the 
evening  before  than  it  did  when  I heard  Miss  Leigh  call  my  name. 
I walked  to  the  front  of  the  room  racking  my  brain.  As  I faced 
the  class  I could  see  broad  grins  on  the  faces  of  some  of  my  class- 
mates who  knew  I was  not  prepared.  I thought  of  pretending  to 
faint  but,  as  I had  never  seen  anyone  do  it,  I didn’t  know  whether 
to  fall  backward,  forward,  or  in  a heap.  Just  then,  with  a loud 
and  very  beautiful  clang,  the  fire  bell  began  to  ring.  When  the  fire 
drill  was  over,  the  English  period  was  over,  too,  and  I was  saved. 

Corrective  English  — Grade  7 

Drill  upon  the  forms 
Attack,  attacked,  have  attacked 

Drill  upon 
With  whom 
Of  whom 
To  whom 
To  him  and  me 
With  you  and  me 
Whom  do  you  hear? 

Whom  did  you  send? 

Emphasize 

He  doesn't,  not  he  don't. 


101 


Distinguish  between  the  use  of  the  adjective  and  the  adverb: 
“ He  sings  well”  not  “ He  sings  good  ” ; “ She  looks  beautiful,  not 
“ She  looks  beautifully 

Avoid  the  present  tense  of  to  say  in  reporting  conversations : 
“ Then  he  said,”  not  “ Then  he  says.” 

Teach  Shall  I?  and  Shall  we?  not  Will  l?  and  Will  we? 

Distinguish  between  the  use  of 
Should  and  would 
Fewer  and  less 
Further  and  farther 
Between  and  among 
Lead  and  led 

Drill  upon  the  correct  use  of  the  compound  personal  pronoun: 
not  “ She  and  myself  did  it.” 

Drill  upon  the  agreement  of  pronoun  with  antecedent,  especially 
“ Everyone  must  do  his  own  work,”  not  “ Everyone  must  do  their 
own  work.” 

Drill  upon  the  correct  use  of  without  and  unless. 

Drill  upon  the  agreement  of  subject  and  verb  when  phrase  inter- 
venes : a number  of  boys  was  in  the  room,  not  a number  of  boys 
were  in  the  room. 

Drill  upon  the  correct  form  for  misplaced  modifier. 

Drill  on  pronunciation  of  rinse,  theater,  guardian,  licorice,  athlete , 
wrestle. 

Grammar 

During  this  year,  a more  intensive  study  of  the  sentence,  and  of 
the  parts  of  speech  should  be  insisted  upon.  The  pupil  should  be 
taught  to  classify  sentences ; to  distinguish,  readily,  between  sen- 
tences and  clauses;  between  clauses  and  phrases.  The  course  in 
grammar  should  include  only  what  will  aid  in  the  correct  everyday 
use  of  the  language.  By  making  use  the  determining  factor,  much 
of  the  terminology  and  many  formal  rules  and  classifications  hereto- 
fore deemed  to  be  essential  may  safely  be  eliminated. 

First  Half  Year 

1 Review  sentences  classified  as  to  their  use;  parts  of  speech  given 

previous  year. 

2 As  in  the  previous  year,  there  should  be  daily  drill  and  prac- 

tice in  building  sentences  from  the  material  of  each  lesson. 

Emphasis  should  be  continued  on  the  fact  that  a sentence 

must  give  expression  to  some  thought 


102 


3 A detailed  study  of  the  adjective:  (a)  definition,  ( b ) com- 

parison 

4 The  adverb:  (a)  definition,  ( b ) comparison 

5 Appositives 

6 Complements:  direct  object 

7 Transitive  and  intransitive  verbs 

8 Copulative  verbs  and  their  complements:  (a)  nouns  and  pro- 

nouns in  the  predicate,  ( b ) adjectives  in  the  predicate 

9 Active  and  passive  voice  of  verbs.  Drill  on  changing  from 

one  to  the  other,  but  no  work  is  expected  on  conjugation 
io  The  indirect  object 

n The  objective  complement  (factitive  object) 

12  Independent  elements.  Review  interjections  and  vocatives; 

yes  and  no;  the  expletive  there 

13  Analysis  of  easy  sentences 

Second  Half  Year 

1 The  clause:  (a)  definition,  ( b ) classified  as  (1)  independent 

(main  or  principal),  (2)  dependent  (subordinate) 

2 Clauses : 

a adjective  — some  words  introducing  adjective  clauses; 
practice  in  interchanging  adjectives,  adjective  phrases 
and  adjective  clauses 

h adverbial  — some  words  introducing  adverbial  clauses 

Note:  At  this  point  it  may  be  well  to  point  out  that  the  words  “when” 
and  “where”  sometimes  introduce  adjective  clauses.  Practice  in  inter- 
changing adverbial  phrases  and  clauses. 

c Noun  clauses  used  as  (1)  subject,  (2)  direct  object  of  a 
verb  (some  verbs  commonly  followed  by  noun  clauses), 
(3)  object  of  a preposition,  (4)  appositive,  (5)  in  the 
predicate. 

Note:  Attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  when  a sentence  contains  a noun 
clause  and  no  other  dependent  clause,  the  whole  sentence  is  the  main  clause. 

3 The  sentence  classified  as  to  form:  (a)  simple,  ( b ) complex, 

(c)  compound 

4 The  conjunction:  (a)  coordinate,  ( b ) subordinate 
Note:  Correlative  conjunctions  may  be  taught  at  this  time. 

5 The  analysis  of  simple  sentences  containing  not  more  than  two 

phrases ; of  complex  sentences  containing  not  more  than 
one  subordinate  clause;  of  compound  sentences  containing 
not  more  than  two  clauses. 


103 


Eighth  Year 

The  introductory  sections  on  the  teaching  of  composition  and 
corrective  English  (pages  4-19)  and  the  section  on  grammar  (page 
60)  are  to  be  considered  a part  of  the  course  of  study  for  this  grade. 
Teachers  should  familiarize  themselves  with  the  outlines  for  pre- 
ceding grades. 


Aims 


Oral 

1 To  encourage  pupils  to  talk 
freely  on  account  of  genuine 
interest,  but  always  with  a defi- 
nite and  clearly  formed  plan  in 
the  mind  of  the  teacher  for  im- 
proving their  use  of  language. 

2 To  require  equally  good 
English  in  all  classes. 

3 To  develop  distinct  articu- 
lation, a pleasing  tone,  correct 
posture  and  freedom  from  self- 
consciousness. 

4 To  require  complete  sen- 
tences. 

5 To  eliminate  the  errors  in 
speech  assigned  for  correction  in 
this  year  and  to  emphasize  the 
correct  forms  drilled  upon  in 
preceding  years. 

6 To  continue  emphasis  upon 
recognition  of  the  sentence  unit 
and  upon  ability  to  secure  transi- 
tion by  means  of  related  words 
and  proper  connectives. 

7 To  continue  emphasis  upon 
orderly  arrangement  and  upon 
ability  to  stick  to  the  point  and 
t©  begin  and  end  definitely. 

8 To  cultivate  the  desire  to 
speak  well. 


Written 

1 To  secure  mastery  of  the 
technicalities  assigned  for  this 
year  and  of  those  already  taught. 

2 To  require  equally  good 
written  English  in  all  classes  in 
which  writing  is  done. 

3 To  insist  upon  neatness, 
good  arrangement,  good  penman- 
ship and  correct  spelling  in  all 
classes  in  which  writing  is  done. 

4 To  secure  the  sentence  sense 
and  to  continue  the  development 
of  the  paragraph  sense  by  requir- 
ing numerous  brief  compositions, 
each  of  which  should  show  a 
definite  beginning,  middle  and 
end. 

5 To  continue  practice  in  the 
writing  and  addressing  of  fa- 
miliar and  business  letters. 


104 


Minimum  Requirement 

(The  term  “minimum  requirement”  indicates  the  least  that  should  be- 
accepted  as  satisfactory  at  the  end  of  the  specified  year.  Pages  17-18 
should  be  read  in  connection  with  the  statement  of  minimum  requirements 
for  this  grade.) 

1 Eight  or  ten  short  sentences 
on  a familiar  topic,  developed 
through  two  or  more  paragraph 
units,  if  necessary,  and  contain- 
ing no  errors  of  any  kind,  the 
whole  showing  a definite  begin- 
ning, middle  and  end. 

2 The  recitation  from  mem- 
ory, with  clear,  distinct  voice 
and  intelligent  expression,  of 
any  two  selections  of  moderate 
length  memorized  during  the 
year. 

3 The  ability  to  read  aloud 
clearly  and  intelligently  selec- 
tions from  the  literature  assigned 
for  this  year. 

Sources  of  material: 

See  preceding  year 
Good  citizenship 
Loyalty  and  patriotism 
Literature,  history  and  other  subjects  studied 
Descriptions 
Explanations 

Reports  of  lectures,  concerts,  good  plays  and  moving  pictuies, 
local  happenings 
Humorous  anecdotes 
Local,  national  and  foreign  news 
Current  inventions  and  discoveries 
Picture  studies 
Original  stories  and  poems 
Dramatizations 
Book  reviews 
Biographies 
Arguments 
Memorizing 
Socialized  recitations 


1 Eight  or  ten  sentences  on  a 
familiar  related  topic,  arranged 
in  paragraphs  if  necessary,  and 
written  without  error.  The 
whole  should  show  a definite  be- 
ginning, middle  and  end. 

2 A short,  familiar  or  business 
letter,  written  and  addressed 
without  error. 

3 The  ability  to  write  correctly 
from  dictation  five  or  six  lines 
of  prose  suited  to  this  grade. 

4 The  ability  to  spell  “ The 
Hundred  Spelling  Demons.” 


105 


Oral  Composition  — First  Half  Year 

See  seventh  year. 

One  period  each  week  should  be  given  to  formal  talks  by  the 
pupils. 

The  debate,  which  is  taken  up  slightly  and  informally  in  the 
seventh  grade,  should  now  be  considered  more  earnestly.  In  pre- 
senting an  argument,  the  pupil,  after  careful  preliminary  prepara- 
tion, should  begin  with  a clear  statement  of  the  position  taken, 
followed  by  explanations  or  illustrations  to  make  still  clearer  the 
speaker’s  point  of  view.  Next  should  follow  the  arguments  stated 
clearly  and  in  good  order.  Such  debates  should  be  brief  and  upon 
simple  topics.  The  teacher  may  act  as  chairman  or  some  member 
of  the  class  may  be  appointed.  Pupils  should  rise  for  permission 
to  speak  and  wait  for  recognition  from  the  chair.  The  teacher 
should  offer  criticisms  at  the  close  of  the  debate  but  should  endeavor 
not  to  discourage  the  debaters.  As  debatable  questions  arise  in 
other  classes,  such  differences  of  opinion  should  be  given  an  oppor- 
tunity for  expression,  if  time  will  permit.  Recognition  of  those 
simple  rules  of  debate  which  have  been  taught  should  be  insisted 
upon. 

In  history  and  other  subjects  there  should  be  the  beginning  of 
reference  study.  Pupils  should  be  assigned  topics  to  investigate. 
The  report  of  the  readings  or  other  investigations  will  furnish 
valuable  material  for  oral  expression.  The  appointment  of  class 
leaders,  weekly  or  oftener,  whose  duty  it  is  to  select  topics  and  to 
assign  them  will  create  a pleasant  rivalry  and  retain  class  interest. 

Recitations  in  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades  should  be  left,  when- 
ever possible,  in  the  care  of  the  pupils.  If  they  feel  that  the  teacher 
holds  them  responsible  for  the  success  of  a recitation,  they  will 
prepare  for  it. 

Declamation  of  memorized  selections  should  be  continued  in  this 
as  in  other  grades.  Every  effort  should  be  made  to  obtain  suitable 
vocal  interpretation  and  careful  posture.  Care  should  be  taken 
to  avoid  encouraging  artificial  and  exaggerated  delivery. 

Pupils  may  dramatize  plays  they  have  written  or  other  suitable 
material.  If  a play  is  studied  as  literature,  various  scenes  may  be 
acted.  Such  exercises  offer  excellent  practice  in  the  arts  of  speech. 
Opportunity  for  invention  may  be  given  by  occasional  impromptu 
dramatization.  The  following  topics  are  suggestive : 

A conversation  at  a baseball  game  between  a girl  who  does  not 
understand  baseball  and  her  brother,  who  does. 


106 


A conversation  between  two  women  at  a bargain  counter. 

A conversation  at  a soda  fountain  between  two  little  boys  who 
have  only  five  cents  between  them. 

Such  exercises  should  be  brief  and  definitely  limited  as  to  time. 

Regular  drill  in  the  correction  of  common  errors  should  be  given. 
There  should  be  drill  in  the  use  of  such  expressions  as  his  coming, 
not  so  good  as,  I should  have  liked  to  go.  Errors  in  pronunciation 
that  are  not  the  result  of  bad  habit  but  of  ignorance  in  regard  to 
particular  words  should  be  corrected  by  means  of  the  dictionary. 

Written  Composition  — First  Half  Year 

The  suggestions  under  written  composition  in  the  seventh  grade 
should  apply  in  the  eighth  grade. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  the  teacher  should  know  what  her 
pupils  have  been  taught  in  previous  years  and  should  then  test  their 
knowledge  to  learn  what  parts  of  the  work  must  be  amended  or 
done  over.  Her  standard  must,  however,  be  that  of  the  seventh  year, 
not  of  the  eighth.  Frequently  a teacher  is  discouraged  with  her 
pupils  in  the  fall  and  passes  this  discouragement  on  to  them  because 
she  is  unconsciously  comparing  them  with  the  pupils  who  left  her 
in  June  — an  unfair  comparison.  When  pupils  are  found  deficient 
in  any  of  the  fundamentals,  they  must  be  instructed  and  drilled  until 
the  deficiency  has  been  supplied. 

As  advance  work  there  should  be  continuation  of  the  effort  to 
produce  more  varied  sentence  structure,  to  substitute  frequently  the 
more  smoothly-flowing  complex  sentence  for  the  short,  rather  abrupt 
simple  sentence.  In  this  connection  the  teacher  who  plans  well  will 
be  able  to  correlate  grammar  and  composition. 

There  should  be  an  effort  to  infuse  into  the  themes  written  a few 
touches  of  what  is  commonly  known  as  style.  The  pupils  should 
have  learned  already  the  value  of  the  interesting  opening  and  closing 
sentence.  The  fact  that  inverted  or  transposed  sentences  give  variety 
and  that  a succession  of  short  sentences  may  give  an  effect  of  speed 
may  be  learned  from  examples  in  literature  read  by  the  class.  Espe- 
cially effective  words  should  be  observed.  The  teacher  may  write 
on  the  board  a paragraph  strong  in  choice  of  words,  omitting  some 
of  the  most  effective  words,  and  let  the  children  write  out  the  para- 
graph with  the  blanks  filled.  Their  written  efforts  may  then  be 
compared  with  those  of  the  author,  with  class  discussion. 

This  effort  to  obtain  effectiveness  should  be  made  by  suggestion 
rather  than  by  special  direction.  The  children  should  not  be  told 


107 


in  so  many  words  to  write  a paragraph  with  inverted  sentence  or 
effective  words.  Such  an  order  would  kill  interest  and  produce 
artificiality  and  “ fine  writing.”  They  should  read  fine  models  and 
their  attention  should  be  called  to  the  way  in  which  effects  are  pro- 
duced. They  are,  in  other  words,  to  be  exposed  to  good  writing 
with  the  hope  that  it  will  take,  but  when  they  write  each  child 
should  be  permitted,  provided  he  obeys  the  fundamental  rules,  to 
say  what  he  has  to  say  in  the  way  that  seems  best  to  him. 

In  the  writing  of  description,  the  child  should  be  taught  to  adhere 
to  his  point  of  view  whether  it  be  movable  or  stationary.  He  should 
learn  from  examples  that  the  first  sentence  or  sentences  should  give 
the  general  impression  of  the  thing  to  be  described  and  that  details 
should  follow. 

Before  writing  an  explanation,  he  should  record  the  principal 
questions  that  a person  would  ask  who  wished  to  be  informed  on 
that  special  topic.  By  arranging  these  questions  in  logical  order  he 
will  have  provided  himself  with  an  outline  to  follow. 

The  work  in  reproduction  may  frequently  be  done  without  imme- 
diate oral  reproduction.  It  may  be  combined  with  invention.  For 
example,  one  of  the  following  assignments  might  be  given  to  a class 
that  had  been  reading  The  Man  without  a Country,  or  The  Lady 
of  the  Lake: 

Was  Nolan  justly  punished?  Give  your  opinion,  with  reasons. 

Imagine  that  you  attended  the  ball  on  board  the  Warren.  Write 
to  a friend  an  account  of  Nolan’s  conversation  with  Mrs  Graff. 

Imagine  that  you  are  James  Fitz-James.  Describe  Ellen  as  you 
first  saw  her. 

Imagine  that  you  are  Ellen  Douglas.  Give  an  account  of  your 
first  meeting  with  James  Fitz-James. 

Brief  reports,  as  for  a newspaper,  may  be  written  of  various  local 
events ; as,  a ball  game,  a glee  club  concert,  a parade,  the  visit  to 
school  of  some  noted  person,  etc. 

The  writing  of  both  friendly  and  business  letters  should  be 
continued. 

Pupils  should  take  an  active  part  in  correcting  papers.  They  may 
occasionally  exchange  papers  and  indicate  such  types  of  errors  as 
they  have  been  told  to  look  for.  It  is  best  to  arrange  that  poor 
writers  should  exchange  with  good  writers,  though  this  need  not  be 
made  unpleasantly  evident.  Papers  corrected  by  pupils  should 
always  be  examined  by  the  teacher  before  being  returned  to  the 
original  writers. 


108 


Work  in  dictation,  copying  and  writing  of  selections  from  mem- 
ory should  be  continued. 

Technicalities : 

1 Arrangement 

2 Language 

a Capitals 

Rule  for  capitalizing  a title.  (Heretofore  pupils  have 
followed  the  rule : Capitalize  the  first  word  and  all 
important  words  in  a title.  They  may  now  adopt 
the  more  specific  rule:  Capitalize  the  first  word  in 
a title  and  all  other  words  except  prepositions,  con- 
junctions and  articles.) 
b Punctuation 

(1)  Comma  with  words,  phrases  or  clauses  placed 

out  of  their  natural  order 

(2)  Comma  with  appositives 

3 Use  of  dictionary  and  reference  books 

a Synonyms,  antonyms 
b Use  of  index  and  table  of  contents 
c Use  of  encyclopedia 

Oral  Composition  — Second  Half  Year 

See  first  half  year. 

The  weekly  formal  talks  should  be  continued. 

In  this  half  year  there  should  be  a concentration  upon  the  elim- 
ination of  weak  spots  in  order  to  round  out  the  entire  course.  It  is 
not  necessary  to  do  everything  that  has  been  suggested,  but  it  is 
important  that  what  is  done  should  be  done  well.  It  is  the  teacher’s 
duty  to  give  her  pupils  what  they  need,  not  necessarily  what  she 
thinks  they  ought  to  know. 

Oral  Composition  — Second  Half  Year 

Continue  work  outlined  in  first  half.  In  the  last  half  year  there 
should  be  a concentration  upon  the  elimination  of  weak  spots  in 
order  to  round  out  the  entire  course. 

Types  of  Compositions 

These  type  compositions  are  merely  illustrative.  They  are  not 
designed  in  any  way  for  use  in  the  classroom. 


109 


Oral 

A Book  I Have  Enjoyed 

A book  that  I have  enjoyed  is  “ The  Secret  Garden  ” by  Frances 
H.  Burnett.  It  is  the  story  of  a little  English  boy  who  was  very 
delicate.  Because  everyone  thought  him  weak  and  sickly,  he  never 
tried  to  do  the  things  that  healthy  children  do.  He  thought  he  could 
not  play.  At  last  two  other  children  found  the  way  into  a secret 
garden  and  took  him  there  every  day  when  he  was  out  for  an  airing. 
As  there  was  no  one  to  stop  them,  they  taught  the  sickly  boy  to 
walk  and  run  about  and  play.  His  father  came  home  from  a journey 
and  found  the  boy  strong  and  well.  The  mystery  about  the  secret 
garden  makes  the  story  especially  interesting. 

An  Argument  Against  Buying  Class  Pins 

The  eighth  grade  class  should  not  buy  class  pins.  Such  pins  are 
of  no  practical  value  either  as  an.  evidence  of  graduation,  or  for 
actual  use.  If  we  complete  the  course,  our  diploma  and  our  presence 
on  the  stage  at  commencement  will  show  that  we  have  done  so,  while 
a member  of  the  class  who  does  not  graduate  may  buy  a pin  if  he 
wishes.  So  far  as  actual  use  is  concerned  a safety  pin  is  more 
practical.  Class  pins  are  of  little  sentimental  value.  We  shall  soon 
become  interested  in  graduating  from  high  school  or  in  earning  a 
living  and  forget  to  wear  the  pins.  I went  to  a reunion  of  last 
year’s  class  on  Friday  night  and  six  of  them  had  lost  their  pins 
already.  The  buying  of  class  pins  is  an  extravagance.  People  in 
the  class  who  can’t  afford  them  will  feel  that  they  must  buy  them  if 
the  class  votes  to  do  that.  Since  class  pins  are  of  no  practical  value, 
are  soon  lost  or  forgotten,  and  take  money  that  is  needed  for  more 
important  things,  the  eighth  grade  class  should  not  buy  them. 

Written 

Philip  Nolan  was  Unjustly  Punished 

Philip  Nolan  was  unjustly  punished  in  being  sentenced  never  to 
hear  the  name  of  his  native  land  again.  It  must  be  remembered  that 
he  was  not  sentenced  for  cursing  the  United  States  but  for  being 
willing  to  conspire  against  her.  If  Aaron  Burr,  who  had  been  the 
leader  of  the  conspiracy,  was  not  found  guilty  by  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States,  surely  his  subordinate  should  not  have  been 
considered  so.  Nolan  was  young.  This,  his  unfortunate  early  edu- 
cation, and  his  previous  good  record  make  any  punishment  for  life 
seem  oversevere  in  his  case.  His  punishment  was  unjust  because 
it  was  unconstitutional.  The  Constitution  of  the  United  States 
declares  that  no  one  shall  be  punished  in  a cruel  or  unusual  way. 


110 


Any  punishment  that  absolutely  shuts  a man  off  from  all  communi- 
cation with  home  and  friends  is  cruel.  I do  not  need  to  prove  that 
Nolan’s  punishment  was  unusual.  This  is  self-evident.  Therefore, 
I think  Philip  Nolan  was  unjustly  punished. 

The  Quiet  Island 

Our  house  is  a jolly  but  rather  racketty  place.  Everybody  in  the 
family  likes  to  make  a good  deal  of  noise;  that  is,  everybody  but 
me.  There  are  eight  of  us  altogether,  counting  my  father  and 
mother.  Someone  is  always  singing,  or  playing  the  piano,  or  telling 
a funny  story,  or  making  the  dog  “ talk.”  When  anything  disturbs 
one  of  the  twins  they  both  yell  like  Indians.  So  when  I go  to  bed 
at  night,  which  is  the  only  quiet  time,  I pretend  that  I am  on  a lonely 
desert  island.  I lie  on  my  back  on  the  sand  and  look  up  at  the  blue, 
blue  sky,  where  little  white  clouds  are  floating.  Gulls  fly  over,  dip- 
ping down  toward  the  sea.  The  waves  come  in  quietly  and  make  a 
sound  like  “ Hush-sh-sh  ” as  they  wash  back  over  the  sand.  I am 
sure  there  is  a spring  on  the  island  and  a log  house  with  provisions 
but  I always  go  to  sleep  before  I can  look  for  them.  Then  morning 
comes  and  another  noisy  day  begins. 

Corrective  English  — Grade  8 

Drill  upon  the  use  of  so  in  negative  expressions,  not  so  strong 
instead  of  not  as  strong. 

Drill  upon  proper  uses  of  got. 

Drill  upon  correct  uses  of  shall  and  will  in  (a)  simple  declarative 
sentences,  ( b ) questions,  (c)  subordinate  clauses. 

Drill  upon  the  correction  of  the  dangling  particple,  “ Walking  to 
school,  a furniture  wagon  broke  down.” 

Drill  upon  the  tense  of  the  infinitive : “ I meant  to  write  last 
month,”  “ I ought  to  have  written  long  ago.” 

Drill  upon  the  correct  use  of  some  and  somewhat. 

Drill  upon  the  use  of  the  present  tense  for  present  facts  and 
unchangeable  truths. 

Drill  upon  number  of  verb  with  collective  noun  as  subject. 

Drill  upon  the  possessive  case  before  a gerund:  “ Please  excuse 
my  not  coming  today.” 

Drill  upon  explanatory  and  restrictive  clauses. 

Drill  upon  the  correct  use  of  comparative  and  superlative  degree. 

Drill  upon  the  correct  use  of  the  pronoun  in  the  following  cases : 
" He  knew  that  it  was  I,”  “ He  knew  it  to  be  me.” 


Ill 


Drill  systematically  on  any  persistent  errors  appointed  for  elim- 
ination in  previous  years. 

Drill  on  pronunciation  of  mischievous,  recognize,  aeroplane , 
architect. 

Grammar 

Do  not  spend  time  in  formal  parsing  or  in  elaborate  diagraming 
of  sentences.  The  conjugation  of  the  verb  to  he  should  be  insisted 
upon.  The  conjugation  of  verbs  through  the  indicative  mode  may 
be  taught,  if  deemed  important.  But  the  time  alloted  to  grammar 
will  be  used  most  effectively  if  devoted  to  much  drill  upon  proper 
forms  and  correct  usage.  The  following  statement  from  the  report 
of  the  committee  of  the  National  Council  of  Teachers  of  English  on 
the  “Articulation  of  the  Elementary  Course  in  English  with  the 
Course  in  English  in  the  High  School,”  well  expresses  the  views 
now  held  by  progressive  teachers  with  reference  to  formal  grammar 
in  the  grades : 

The  elementary  school  should  emphasize  grammar  in  the  sense  of  correct 
use  and  the  little  grammar  taught  should  be  constructive  throughout.  Con- 
stant application  of  the  principles  learned  should  be  made  in  drills  in  the 
correction  of  faults  found  in  the  pupil’s  own  composition.  Complicated  and 
unusual  expressions  should  be  avoided  and  emphasis  should  be  laid  upon 
those  forms  and  principles  that  will  be  most  effective  in  forming  the  habit 
of  correct  usage. 

First  Half  Year 

1 Review  clauses  and  parts  of  speech 

2 Inflection  of  nouns,  pronouns 

a Gender 
h Number 
c Person 
d Case 

Note:  It  is  recommended  that  little  attention  be  paid  to  the  so-called 
inflection  of  nouns  but  later  much  drill  should  be  given  on  the  pronouns  that 
are  inflected  for  case.  Only  a brief  consideration  should  be  given  to  gender 
and  number. 

3  Complement  case 
a Subject 

b Predicate  nominative 
c Vocative  (direct  address) 
d Apposition 

4  Objective  case 

a Direct  object  of  verb 
h Object  of  a preposition 


112 


c Objective  complement 
d Indirect  object 
e Appositive 

5 Possessive  case 

Note:  The  pupils  will  have  learned  the  spelling  and  use  of  the  possessive 
much  earlier. 

6 Pronouns  classified 

a Personal,  declension 
b Relative,  declension 
c Interrogative 
d Adjective  pronouns 

( 1 ) Demonstrative 

(2)  Indefinite 

Note:  Give  much  drill  on  the  correct  use  of  the  inflected  pronouns. 
Second  Half  Year 

1 Verbs 

a Classification  as  to 

(1)  Form,  regular  and  irregular 

(2)  Meaning,  transitive  and  intransitive 

(3)  Use,  principal  and  auxiliary 
b Person 

c Number 

Note:  Teach  the  conjugation  of  the  verb  to  be  with  especial  reference  to 
person  and  number. 

d Agreement 

Note:  Give  constant  drill  to  eliminate  common  errors  in  agreement  as, 
he  don’t,  they  was,  etc. 

e Tense 

(1)  Present,  past,  future 

(2)  Present  perfect,  past  perfect,  future  perfect 

Note:  Drill  until  pupils  recognize  easily  and  quickly  the  time  element. 

/ Principal  parts 

Note:  Drill  on  irregular  verbs  commonly  misused;  as,  go,  sit,  set,  lie,  lay, 
eat,  come,  do,  see,  break,  speak,  freeze,  rise,  begin,  drink,  ring,  sing,  sink, 
swim,  throw,  know,  groiv,  show,  draw,  take,  drown . 

g Review  voice 

h Subjunctive  forms  in  common  use 
i Correct  use  of  shall  and  uhll 


113 


2 Verbals,  treated  as  parts  of  speech  according  to  their  use  in 

sentences 

a The  infinitive ; its  uses 

(1)  As  a noun 

(2)  As  an  adjective 

(3)  As  an  adverb 

b The  participle,  present  and  perfect 
(1)  Its  nature  and  use 

c The  gerund  (drill  on  the  use  of  the  possessive  before  the 
gerund) 

3 The  participial  phrase 

4 Analysis  of  sentences  with  constant  drill  in  both  oral  and  written 

work.  It  is  recommended  that  for  this  purpose  only  easy 
sentences  shall  be  selected. 


114 


LITERATURE,  GRADES  7 AND  8 

The  following  is  from  the  report  of  the  committee  on  reorganiza- 
tion of  English  in  secondary  schools : 

Both  the  pupil’s  reading  in  grades  7 to  9 and  the  teacher’s 
guidance  of  that  reading  naturally  divide  into  two  distinct  phases. 
A few  tried  pieces  of  high  order  may  well  be  read  in  class  sym- 
pathetically, for  content  and  beauty,  and  at  the  same  time  simpler 
works  should  be  read  by  the  pupils  individually  and  for  the  most 
part  at  home.  The  classroom  work  will  stimulate  and  help  to  con- 
trol the  outside  reading  and  this  in  turn  tend  to  develop  the  desired 
habit  of  reading  freely  and  wisely.  There  will  be  suggested  methods 
appropriate  to  each  of  these  forms  of  the  teacher’s  work. 

CLASSROOM  METHOD 

1 Fundamental  is  the  comprehension  of  the  meaning  of  the  work 
as  a whole,  and  of  the  contribution  of  its  various  parts  to  that 
meaning.  In  narrative  this  involves  an  understanding  of  the  cause- 
and-effect  relationship  between  the  various  incidents  and  between 
character  and  action,  a study  that  often  culminates  in  the  perception 
of  some  pervading  principle  governing  human  life.  As  to  order  of 
procedure,  in  the  case  of  many  shorter  forms  it  is  advisable  to  begin 
with  an  oral  reading  that  carefully  preserves  the  spirit  of  the  work 
and  to  follow  this  reading  with  a discussion  of  the  more  important 
interpretative  details.  In  the  case  of  the  longer  works  it  is  usually 
necessary  to  examine  first  the  successive  sections  and  then  by  a 
rapid  review  to  unify  these  into  a compact  whole.  It  is  important 
to  avoid  the  two  extremes  (1)  of  merely  reading  the  work  without 
any  adequate  comprehension  of  its  message,  and  (2)  of  entering  into 
labored  analysis.  What  constitutes  an  effective  middle  between  these 
extremes  must  be  settled  independently  by  each  teacher  for  each 
work  on  the  basis  of  (1)  the  difficulty  of  the  writing  and  (2)  the 
needs  and  mood  of  the  class. 

2 Stimulation  of  the  imaginative  and  emotional  faculties  of  the 
pupil  is  mainly  dependent  upon  inducing  him  to  identify  himself  in 
thought  with  the  writer  and  (in  narrative)  with  the  characters.  He 
must  be  led  for  the  time  to  see  and  to  feel  as  did  the  writer,  or  to 
hope  or  fear,  to  despair  or  triumph,  as  do  the  characters  in  the  play 
or  story.  To  this  end  more  than  to  any  other  must  the  teacher  s 
interpretative  powers  be  bent,  for  if  he  fails  in  this,  the  work  can 
not  rise  above  the  mediocre.  As  a means  of  securing  this  attitude  of 
mind,  the  pupil  may,  for  instance,  be  asked  to  visualize  a scene  orally 
without  glancing  at  the  text,  the  test  in  such  a case  being  consistency 
with  the  author’s  conception,  and  not  mere  repetition  of  details  held 
in  memory  from  the  reading ; or  he  may  be  asked  to  talk  or  write 
upon  a situation  parallel  with  that  in  the  text,  but  drawn  from  his 
own  experience,  real  or  imagined ; or  he  may  take  part  in  arranging 
and  enacting  simple  dramatizations. 


115 


3 The  teacher  should  be  equipped  with  various  types  of  additional 
information  for  various  types  of  writings.  Such  are:  additional 
features  of  background,  human  and  otherwise,  for  foreign  scenes ; 
details  concerning  the  life  and  conceptions  of  the  peoples  who  pro- 
duced such  primitive  forms  of  literature  as  “ The  Odyssey  ” or 
“ The  Song  of  Roland  ” ; and  anecdotes  illustrating  the  personalities 
of  the  authors.  Such  detailed  methods,  however,  as  are  involved 
in  the  presentation  of  a play  of  the  time  of  Shakspere  have  in 
general  no  place  in  the  work  of  these  grades. 

4 In  the  reading  of  poetry  special  attention  should  be  paid  to  the 
cultivation  of  a keen  ear  for  the  lilt  of  the  verse.  In  the  earlier 
part  of  this  three-year  course  the  chief  reliance  must  be  upon  the 
pupil’s  sense  of  rhythm  as  stimulated  by  contact  with  a teacher 
skilled  in  oral  interpretation,  but  toward  the  end  of  the  three  years 
he  should  perhaps  be  ready  for  a knowledge  of  the  use  of  the  four 
principal  feet  as  obtained  by  the  analysis  of  very  simple  and  regular 
lines  of  verse  and  by  making  verses  of  his  own. 

5 Some  of  the  passages  read  should  be  committed  to  memory,  the 
passages  being  assigned  by  the  teacher,  or  selected  by  the  class  as  a 
whole,  or  left  to  the  choice  of  the  individual  members  of  the  class. 
The  method  of  memorizing  is  important.  If  pupils  will  read  aloud 
the  passages  selected,  once  or  twice  a day  thoughtfully  for  a couple 
of  weeks,  they  will  find  they  have  unconsciously  mastered  them. 
Passages  so  memorized  will  be  remembered  much  longer  than  those 
learned  in  shorter  sections  day  by  day.  Several  repetitions  of  such 
passages  at  gradually  lengthening  intervals  will  be  necessary  to 
insure  their  permanent  retention.  Memorizing  should  follow,  not 
precede,  a clear  perception  of  the  progress  of  the  thought  of  the 
selection. 

6 Grammatical  analysis  and  word  study  are  valuable  aids  in 
determining  the  meaning  of  a given  passage,  and  should  be  used 
whenever  necessary  for  that  purpose.  Their  introduction  into  the 
literature  hour  for  any  purpose  other  than  this,  however,  is  to  be 
deplored.  Other  uses,  essential  and  vital,  they  have;  but  these 
should  be  given  another  place  in  the  English  course. 

MEANS  OF  ENCOURAGING  AND  TESTING  HOME  READING 

Home  reading  should  be  encouraged  and  guided  by  every  means 
the  teacher  can  devise.  Each  teacher  should  make  from  the  books 
and  magazines  that  are  or  can  be  made  available  a list  for  each  grade 
sufficiently  long  and  varied  to  permit  the  pupils  of  the  class  to  choose 
books  and  magazines  within  their  individual  taste  and  grasp.  The 
reading  should  be  classified  into  such  main  groups  as  long  stories, 
short  stories,  biograohy,  travel,  popular  science,  current  events, 
poetry,  and  drama.  While  large  individual  choice  should  be  allowed, 
each  pupil  should  be  required  to  delve  into  several  fields  like  the 
above. 

An  effective  means  of  stimulating  interest  and  of  helping  pupils 
to  choose  their  reading  intelligently  consists  in  having  each  pupil 


116 


give  to  the  class  a short  oral  account  of  some  book  or  article  that  he 
has  found  particularly  interesting.  Such  an  exercise  has  the  added 
advantage  of  a real  motive  and  calls  for  skill  in  the  case  of  a story 
in  that  the  pupil  must  avoid  telling  so  much  as  to  defeat  his  purpose; 
namely,  that  of  arousing  interest  in  the  story.  Allowing  different 
members  of  the  class  who  are  unfamiliar  with  the  story  to  finish  it 
as  they  think  it  ought  to  end  not  only  leads  them  to  want  to  read 
for  themselves  to  discover  the  real  ending,  but  also  affords  excellent 
practice  in  imaginative  narrative.  Instead  of  giving  the  plot  of  a 
story  the  pupil  may  select  a striking  or  amusing  episode,  a vivid 
description,  an  interesting  character,  or  other  impressions  or 
opinions. 

The  cooperation  of  the  school  or  town  librarian  is  invaluable  in 
encouraging  and  guiding  reading.  The  list  of  books  suitable  for  the 
grade  may  be  posted  in  the  library  rather  than  in  the  classroom,  as  a 
bait  in  luring  the  pupils  to  the  library,  where  the  librarian  may 
accomplish  wonders. 

No  list  should  be  regarded  as  complete.  The  pupils  should  be 
encouraged  to  discuss  with  the  teacher  any  reading  outside  of  the 
list.  Even  the  teacher’s  occasional  borrowing  of  a book  recom- 
mended by  a pupil  establishes  friendly  confidence  between  teacher 
and  pupil  and  encourages  others  to  read  in  order  that  they  too  may 
lend. 

Devices  such  as  these,  aside  from  encouraging  home  reading, 
enable  the  teacher  to  know  the  reading  habit  of  the  pupil  and  inci- 
dentally to  test  the  amount  of  reading  done.  Monthly  statements 
of  reading  and  short  personal  conferences  have  their  place,  but  the 
former  should  not  be  obtrusive. 

When  all  is  said  and  done,  however,  the  teacher  who  knows  his 
books  and  his  pupils,  who  is  constantly  alert  to  suggest  enthusiasti  - 
cally the  book  or  article  that  will  interest  the  individual  pupil,  never 
fails  of  success  in  this  important  part  of  his  work. 

The  following  lists  of  selections  for  reading  are  intended  to  be 
largely  suggestive.  Each  teacher  should  have  some  freedom  in  the 
selection  of  the  literature  to  be  studied  by  her  class.  In  order  to 
avoid  repetition  in  the  work  an  assignment  has  been  made  for  each 
term.  In  order  to  have  seasonable  material  for  each  half  year,  it 
may  be  necessary  for  a teacher  to  substitute  in  her  list,  a poem 
or  selection  from  the  previous  or  the  following  list.  Teachers  are 
advised  to  make  these  changes  whenever  necessary ; however,  when 
such  a change  is  planned  the  teacher  should  confer  with  the  teachers 
of  the  previous  and  the  following  grades  in  order  to  avoid  repetition 
of  the  study  of  the  selection. 

Some  work  in  the  memorizing  of  the  poems  should  be  done  each 
term.  Since  children  commit  to  memory  easily  at  this  time,  teachers 


117 


should  interest  the  children  in  this  phase  of  literary  study.  Some 
poems  should  be  learned  as  a whole,  but  in  many  instances  it  will 
be  found  to  be  of  more  value  to  learn  parts  of  poems  in  connection 
with  the  study  of  the  poem  as  a whole.  Teachers  should  endeavor 
to  form  in  the  children  the  habit  of  memorizing  the  choice  bits  of 
all  literature  studied. 

Seventh  Grade  — First  Half  Year 

The  requirement  in  literature  for  the  first  half  of  the  seventh 
year  is  the  reading  of  three  units  from  lists  A and  B,  at  least  one 
unit  to  be  selected  from  each  of  these  lists;  and  the  memorizing  of 
two  selections  from  the  list  indicated  for  this  purpose.  In  group  A 
one  title  and  in  group  B three  titles  constitute  a unit. 

List  A 

Aldrich,  T.  B.  Story  of  a Bad  Boy.  Houghton 

Burnett,  F.  H.  Secret  Garden.  Stokes 

Clemens,  S.  L.  Prince  and  the  Pauper.  Harper 

Dickens,  Charles.  Christmas  Stories.  Various  editions 

Kipling,  Rudyard.  Captains  Courageous.  Doubleday 

Wiggin,  K.  D.  Rebecca  of  Sunnybrook  Farm.  Houghton 

Burroughs,  John.  Bird  Stories.  Ploughton 

Burroughs,  John.  Squirrels  and  Other  Fur  Bearers.  Houghton 

List  B 

Browning,  Robert.  Herve  Riel.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Garrison,  Theodosia.  Soul  of  Jeanne  d’  Arc. 

Holmes,  O.  W.  Contentment.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Holmes,  O.  W.  Deacon’s  Masterpiece.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Holmes,  O.  W.  Old  Ironsides.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Holmes,  O.  W.  Union  and  Liberty.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Longfellow,  H.  W.  Skeleton  in  Armor.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Lowell,  J.  R.  Heritage.  (Poems).  Houghton 

Tennyson,  Alfred.  A Ballad  of  the  Fleet.  (Lyra  Heroica).  Scribner 
Whittier,  J.  G.  Centennial  Hymn.  (American  Anthology). 

List  C — Miscellaneous  selections  for  memorizing 
Albert,  King  of  Belgium.  Address  to  the  Army 
Coolidge.  New  Every  Morning 

Bates,  Arlo.  America  the  Beautiful.  (American  Anthology).  Houghton 
Dobson,  Austin.  Rose  and  the  Gardner.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  2).  Ginn 
Emerson,  R.  W.  Each  and  All.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Letts,  W.  M.  Spires  of  Oxford.  (War  Verse).  Crowell 
Page.  American  Creed 

Shakspere,  William.  Hark,  Hark  the  Lark.  (Golden  Poems).  McClurg 
Van  Dyke,  Henry.  Name  of  France.  (Treasury  of  War  Poetry). 
Houghton 

Whittier,  J.  G.  Trailing  Arbutus.  (Poems).  Houghton 

Seventh  Grade  — Second  Half  Year 
The  requirement  in  literature  for  the  second  half  of  the  seventh 
year  is  the  reading  of  three  units  from  lists  A and  B,  at  least  one  unit 


118 


to  be  selected  from  each  of  these  lists;  and  the  memorizing  of  two 
selections  from  the  list  indicated  for  this  purpose.  In  group  A one 
title  and  in  group  B three  titles  constitute  a unit. 

List  A 

Clemens,  S.  L.  Huckleberry  Finn.  Harper 

Cooper,  Fenimore.  Spy.  Putnam 

Garland,  Hamlin.  Boy  Life  on  the  Prairie.  Harper 

Hughes,  Thomas.  Tom  Brown  at  Rugby.  Ginn 

Montgomery,  L.  M.  Anne  of  Green  Gables.  Page 

Pyle,  Howard.  Men  of  Iron.  Harper 

Stevenson,  R.  L.  Treasure  Island.  Various  editions 

Seton-Thompson,  Ernest.  Trail  of  the  Sandhill  Stag.  Scribner 

List  B 

Holmes,  O.  W.  Grandmother's  Story  of  Bunker  Hill.  (Poems).  Hough- 
ton 

Holmes,  O.  W.  How  the  Old  Horse  Won  the  Bet.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Holmes,  O.  W.  Ballad  of  the  Boston  Tea  Party.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Holmes,  O.  W.  Broomstick  Train.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Kipling,  Rudyard.  Bell  Buoy.  (Collected  Verse).  Doubleday 
Longfellow,  H.  W.  King  Robert  of  Sicily.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Longfellow,  H.  W.  Sandolphin.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Scott,  Walter.  Parting  of  Marmion  and  Douglas.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  2). 
Ginn 

Taylor,  Bayard.  Song  of  the  Camp.  (Stedman’s  Anthology).  Houghton 
Tennyson,  Alfred.  Lady  of  Shalott.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Whittier,  J.  G.  Barbara  Frietchie.  (Poems).  Houghton 

List  C — Miscellaneous  selections  for  memorizing 

Bonar,  Horatius.  Be  True.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Cary,  Alice.  Nobility.  (Selections  for  Memorizing).  Ginn 
Garrison,  Theodosia.  My  Poplars. 

Henry,  Patrick.  War  Inevitable  (beginning  “ They  tell  us,  Sir  ”)  (Lincoln 
Literary  Collection).  Ginn 

Lowell,  J.  R.  F'nding  of  the  Lyre.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Markham,  Edwin.  Lincoln,  the  Great  Commoner.  (Golden  Numbers). 
Houghton 

Perry,  Nora.  Coming  of  Spring.  (Posy  Ring).  Houghton 
Riley,  J.  W.  Name  of  Old  Glory.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Shakspere,  William.  Blow,  Blow  Thou  Winter  Wind.  (Poetry  for  Chil- 
dren). Houghton 

Tennyson,  Alfred.  Sir  Galahad.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  2).  Ginn 
Van  Dyke,  Henry.  Footpath  to  Peace.  Barse 

Books  suggested  for  children’s  reading  in  seventh  grade 

Alcott,  L.  M.  Jo’s  Boys.  Little 
Alcott,  L.  M.  Eight  Cousins.  Little. 

Austin,  J.  G.  Betty  Alden.  Houghton 

Altsheler,  J.  A.  Apache  Gold..  Appleton 

Barrie,  J.  M.  Peter  and  Wendy.  Scribner 

Blanchard,  A.  E.  Loyal  Lass.  Wilde 

Blanchard,  A.  E.  Girls  of  ’76.  Wilde 

Blanchard,  A.  E.  Heroine  of  1812.  Wilde 

Barbour,  R.  H.  Captain  of  the  Crew.  Appleton 

Barbour,  R.  H.  For  the  Honor  of  the  School.  Appleton 


119 


Brown,  John.  Rab  and  His  Friends.  Various  editions 

Burroughs,  John.  Bird  Stories.  Hough'on 

Cotes,  S.  J.  Story  of  Sonny  Sahib.  Appleton 

Dickens,  Charles.  Christmas  Stories.  Various  editions 

Dickson,  M.  S.  Pioneers  and  Patriots  in  Early  American  History. 

Macmillan 

Dix,  B.  M.  Merrylips.  Macmillan 
Eastman,  C.  A.  Indian  Boyhood.  Doubleday 
Eastman,  C.  A.  Indian  Child  Life.  Little 

Field,  Eugene.  Christmas  Tales  and  Christmas  Verse.  Scribner 

Garland,  Hamlin.  Boy  Life  on  the  Prairie.  Harper 

Ginn.  Plutarch  Lives ; abridged.  Ginn 

Gordy,  W.  F.  Colonial  Days.  Scribner 

Goss,  W.  L.  Life  of  General  Sheridan.  Crowell 

Goss.  W.  L.  Recollections  of  a Private.  Crowell 

Grierson,  E.  W.  Children’s  Book  of  Edinburgh.*  Macmillan 

Griswold,  Latta.  Deering  of  Deal.  Macmillan 

Gulick,  L.  H.  The  Efficient  Life.  Doubleday 

Hagedorn,  H.  Boy’s  Life  of  Theodore  Roosevelt.  Harper 

Hawthorne,  Nathaniel.  Grandfather’s  Chair.  Various  editions 

Herbertson,  A.  G.  Heroic  Legends.  Caldwell 

Hill,  F.  T.  On  the  Trail  of  Washington.  Appleton 

Holland,  R.  S.  Historic  Bovhoods.  Jacobs 

Holland,  R.  S.  Historic  Girlhoods.  Jacobs 

Hulst,  C.  S.  Indian  Sketches.  Longmans 

Lang,  Andrew.  Story  of  Joan  of  Arc.  Dutton 

Lansing,  M.  F.  Barbarian  and  Noble.  Ginn 

Lee,  M.  C.  Quaker  Girl  of  Nantucket.  Houghton 

Longfellow,  H.  W.  Courtship  of  Miles  Standish.  Various  editions 

Longfellow,  H.  W.  Evangeline.  Various  editions 

Lucas,  E.  W.  Slowcoach.  Macmillan 

Macgregor,  Mary.  Story  of  France.  Stokes 

Macleod,  Mary.  Shakespeare  Story  Book.  Barnes 

Martin,  G.  M.  Warwickshire  Lad.  Appleton 

Masefield,  John.  Martin  Hyde.  Little 

Mighels,  P.  V.  Sunnyside  Tad.  Harper 

Moore,  N.  H.  Deeds  of  Daring  Done  by  Girls.  Stokes 

Nicolay,  Helen.  Boy’s  Life  of  Lincoln.  Century 

Ollivant,  Alfred.  Bob,  Son  of  Battle.  Doubleday 

Piercy,  W.  D.  Great  Inventions  and  Discoveries.  Merrill 

Pyle,  Howard.  King  Arthur  and  His  Knights.  Scribner 

Pyle,  Howard.  Story  of  the  Grail.  Scribner 

Ramee,  Louise  de  la.  Nurmburg  Stove.  Various  editions 

Richard,  L.  E.  Captain  January.  Estes. 

Roosevelt,  Theodore.  Stories  of  the  Great  West.  Century 
Seawell,  M.  E.  Virginia  Cavalier.  Harper 
Seton-Thompson,  Ernest.  Biography  of  a Grizzly.  Century 
Southey,  Robert.  Life  of  Lord  Nelson.  Various  editions 
Tappan,  E.  M.  In  the  Days  of  Queen  Victoria.  Lothrop 
Tarkington,  Booth.  Penrod.  Doubleday 
Wade,  Mary  H.  Pilgrims  of  Today.  Little 
Warner,  C.  O.  Being  a Boy.  Houghton 
Waterloo,  Stanley.  The  Story  of  Abe.  Doubleday 
Whittier,  J.  G.  Poems.  Houghton 
Wright.  Gray  Lady  and  the  Birds. 

Webster,  Jean.  Daddy  Long  Legs. 

Zollinger,  Gulielma.  Widow  O’Callighan’s  Boys.  McClurg 


120 


Eighth  Grade  — First  Half  Year 

The  requirement  in  literature  for  the  first  half  of  the  eighth  year 
is  the  reading  of  three  units  from  lists  A and  B,  at  least  one  unit  to 
be  selected  from  each  list  mentioned ; and  the  memorizing  of  two 
selections  from  the  list  indicated  for  this  purpose.  A unit  in  list  A 
consists  of  approximately  ioo  pages;  a unit  in  list  B of  approxi- 
mately 50  pages.  Any  combinations  of  readings  aggregating  the 
numbers  of  pages  indicated  will  be  satisfactory.  List  A — A unit  in 
this  group  consists  of  any  one  of  the  first  three  titles  or  any  two 
of  the  remaining  tides. 

Hale,  E.  E.  The  Man  without  a Country.  Various  editions 
Sharp,  D.  L.  A Watcher  in  the  Woods.  Houghton 

V/arner,  C.  D.  A-Hunting  of  the  Deer  and  How  I Killed  a Bear.  (A- 
Hunting  of  the  Deer  and  other  essays).  Houghton 
Andrews,  M.  R.  S.  The  Perfect  Tribute.  Scribner 
Davis,  R.  H.  Gallagher.  Scribner 

Kipling,  Rudyard.  Toomai  of  the  Elephants.  (Jungle  Book).  Double- 
day 

Poe,'  E.  A.  The  Gold  Bug. 

Stockton,  F.  R.  The  Lady  or  the  Tiger  Scribner 
Van  Dyke,  Henry.  The  Other  Wise  Man. 


List  B — A unit  in  this  group  consists  of  the  first  poem  or  any 
three  of  the  poems. 

Longfellow,  H.  W.  Courtship  of  Miles  Standish.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Kipling,  Rudyard.  Ballad  of  East  and  West.  (Collected  Verse).  Doub.e- 
day 

Mackaye,  Percy.  Goethals : the  Prophet  Engineer. 

Lanier,  Sidney.  Song  of  the  Chattahoochee.  (American  Anthology). 
Houghton 

Longfellow,  H.  W.  My  Lost  Youth.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Macaulay,  T.  B.  Horatius  at  the  Bridge.  (Lays  of  Ancient  Rome).  Vari- 
ous editions 

Noyes,  Alfred.  Princeton.  (Treasury  of  War  Poetry).  Houghton 
Shelly,  P.  B.  Cloud.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 


Grade  poet,  James  Russell  Lowell 

Aladdin 

First  Snowfall 

Dandelion 

Concord  Bridge,  Ode  Read  at  100th  Anniversary 

Fountain 

O,  Beautiful,  My  Country 

Shepherd  of  King  Admetus 

The  Singing  Leaves 


List  C — Selections  for  memorizing 

Brooke,  Ruoert.  Soldier.  (War  Verse).  Crowell 
Browning,  Robert.  Incident  of  the  French  Camp. 

Carman,  Bliss.  Vagabond  Song.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Keats,  John.  Sweet  Peas.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
McRae,  John.  In  Flanders  Fields.  (War  Verse).  Crowell 


121 


Poe,  E.  A.  To  Helen.  (American  Anthology).  Houghton 
Scott,  Walter.  My  Native  Land.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Tennyson,  Alfred.  Bugle  Song.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Van  Dyke,  Henry.  I Would  Be  True 
Selections  from  the  following  speeches 

Lincoln,  Abraham.  Gettysburg  Address  (entire).  (Selections  for  Memo- 
rizing). Ginn 

Emmett,  Robert.  Vindication.  (Progressive  Speaker).  National 
Everett,  Edward.  King  Phillip  to  the  White  Settlers.  (Best  Selections, 
v.  3).  Penn 

Webster,  Daniel.  Supposed  Speech  of  John  Adams.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  3). 
Ginn 

Wilson,  Woodrow.  Memorial  Day  Address 

Eighth  Grade  — Second  Half  Year 

The  requirement  in  literature  for  the  second  half  of  the  eighth 
year  is  the  reading  of  three  selections  from  lists  A and  B,  at  least 
one  to  be  taken  from  each  list  mentioned,  and  the  memorizing  of 
two  selections  from  the  list  indicated  for  this  purpose. 

List  A 

Aldrich,  T.  B.  Marjory  Daw.  Houghton 

Plale,  E.  E.  My  Double  and  How  He  Undid  Me.  (Best  Selections,  v.  22). 
Penn 

Kipling,  Rudyard.  The  Ship  that  Found  Herself  and  007  . (Day’s  Work). 
Doubleday 

Wilkins-Freeman,  M.  E.  Revolt  of  Mother.  (New  England  Nun). 
Harper 

Van  Dyke,  Henry.  Mans:on.  Harper 

Irving,  Washington.  Legend  of  Sleepy  Hollow.  (Sketch  Book).  Putnam 
Sharp,  D.  L.  The  Ways  of  the  Woods.  Houghton 

List  B 

Longfellow,  H.  W.  Evangeline. 

Scott,  Walter.  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel.  Various  editions 
Byron,  Lord.  Eve  of  Waterloo.  (English  History  Told  by  English  Poets). 
Macmillan 

Longfellow,  H.  W.  Birds  of  Killingworth.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Lowell,  J.  R.  Vision  of  Sir  Launfal.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Sill,  E.  R.  Fool’s  Prayer.  (American  Anthology).  Houghton 
Whittier,  J.  G.  Snow  Bound.  (Poems).  Houghton 

List  C — Selections  for  memorizing 
Burroughs,  John.  Waiting.  (Golden  Poems).  McClurg 
Bryant,  W.  C.  To  a Water  Fowl.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Gifford.  My  Soul 

Kilmer,  Joyce.  Trees.  (Homebook  of  Verse).  Plolt 
Kipling,  Rudyard.  Recessional.  (Collected  Verse).  Doubleday 
Lowell,  J.  R.  Lines  on  Washington.  (Poems).  Houghton 
Markham,  Edwin.  Lincoln,  the  Great  Commoner.  (Golden  Numbers). 
Houghton 

Owens,  Vilda  S.  What  Has  England  Done? 

Reed.  Uprising  in  the  North 

Sill,  E.  R.  Opportunity.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Stevenson,  R.  L.  Requiem.  (Victorian  Anthology).  Houghton 


122 


Tennyson,  Alfred.  Flower  in  the  Crannied  Wall.  (Open  Sesame,  v.  i). 

Ginn 

Whitman,  Walt.  My  Captain.  (Golden  Numbers).  Houghton 
Whittier,  J.  G.  Quest.  (Poems).  Houghton 

Suggestive  list  of  books  for  children's  reading  in  eighth  grade 

Abbott,  E.  H.  Molly  Make  Believe.  Century. 

Altsheler,  J.  A.  Shadow'  of  the  North.  Appleton 

Altsheler,  J.  A.  Soldier  of  Manhattan.  Appleton 

Atkinson,  Eleanor.  Greyfriars  Bobby.  Harper 

Austin,  J.  G.  Standish  of  Standish.  Houghton 

Bennett,  John.  Master  Skylark.  Century 

Bullen,  F.  T.  Cruise  of  the  Cachelot.  Appleton 

Canavan,  M.  J.  Ben  Comee.  Macmillan 

Carruth,  Hayden.  Track’s  End.  Harper 

Churchill,  Winston.  Crisis.  Macmillan 

Churchill,  Winston.  Crossing.  Grosset 

Cooper,  J.  F.  Last  of  the  Mohicans.  Putnam 

Cooper,  J.  F.  Pilot.  Putnam 

Custer,  E.  B.  Boots  and  Saddles.  Harper 

Dana,  R.  H.  Two  Years  before  the  Mast.  Various  editions 

Davis,  R.  H.  Stories  for  Boys.  Scribner 

Dawson,  Coningsby.  Carry  On.  Lane 

Dickens,  Charles.  David  Copperfield.  Various  editions 

Dix,  B.  M.  Soldier  Rigdale.  Macmillan 

Doubleday,  Russell.  Stories  of  Inventors.  Doubleday 

Duncan,  Norman.  Adventures  of  Billy  Top  Sail.  Revell 

Eggleston,  Edward.  Hoosier  Schoolmaster.  Scribner 

Fisher,  D.  F.  Understood  Betsy.  Holt 

Frederic,  Harold.  In  the  Valley.  Scribner. 

Garland,  Hamlin.  Long  Trail.  Harper 

Hagedorn,  Herman.  You  are  the  Hope  of  the  World.  Macmillan 

Hankey,  Donald.  Student  in  Arms.  Dutton 

Henley,  W.  E.  Lyra  Heroica.  Scribner 

Jewett,  Sophie.  God’s  Troubadour.  Crowell 

Jewett,  S.  O.  White  Heron.  Houghton 

Johnson,  Owen.  Varmint.  Baker 

Johnson,  Rossiter.  Phaeton  Rogers.  Scribner 

Kipling,  Rudyard.  The  Drums  of  the  Fore  and  Aft.  Doubleday 

Keller,  Helen.  Story  of  My  Life.  Grosset 

Liljencrantz,  O.  A.  Thrall  of  Lief  the  Lucky.  McClurg 

Lincoln,  J.  G.  Pretty  Tory.  Houghton 

Long,  A.  W.  American  Patriotic  Prose.  Heath 

Madison,  L.  F.  Colonial  Maid  of  old  Virginia.  Penn 

Martin,  G.  M.  Emmy  Lou.  Doubleday 

Mason,  A.  B.  Tom  Strong,  Washington’s  Scout.  Grosset 

Montgomery,  L.  M.  Anne  of  Green  Gables.  Page 

Mulock,  D.  M.  John  Halifax,  Gentleman.  Various  editions 

Munroe,  Kirk.  Flamingo  Feather.  Harper 

Nicolay,  Helen.  Boy’s  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  Century 

Parkman,  Francis.  Montcalm  and  Wolfe.  Little 

Parkman,  Francis.  Rivals  for  America.  Little 

Parkman,  M.  R.  Heroines  of  Service.  Century 

Pyle,  Howard.  Story  of  King  Arthur.  Scribner 

Riis,  J.  A.  Making  of  an  American.  Macmillan 

Scott,  Walter.  Rob  Roy.  Various  editions 

Scott,  Walter.  Talisman.  Various  editions 

Seaman,  A.  H.  Jacqueline  of  the  Carrier  Pidgeons.  Sturgis 

Shakspere,  William.  As  You  Like  It.  Various  editions 


123 


Sharp,  D.  L.  Watcher  in  the  Woods.  Century 
Sherwood,  M.  P.  Worn  Doorstep.  Little 
Stevenson,  B.  E.  Soldier  of  Virginia.  Houghton 
Stockton,  F.  R.  Rudder  Grange.  Scribner 

Tappan,  E.  M.  In  the  Days  of  William  the  Conqueror.  Lothrop 
Tappan,  E.  M.  When  Knights  Were  Bold.  Houghton 
Tarkington,  Booth.  Gentleman  from  Indiana.  Doubleday 
Washington,  B.  T.  Up  from  Slavery.  Doubleday 
Webster,  Jean.  Daddy  Long  Legs.  Century 

Books  for  Teachers 

Axtell,  U.  F.  Teaching  of  Literature.  Bardeen 
Axtell,  U.  F.  Eighth  Grade  Poems.  Bardeen 
Atkinson,  W.  P.  On  the  Right  Use  of  Books.  Little 
Bolenius,  E.  Teaching  Literature  in  the  Grammar  Grades  and  High 
School. 

Burt,  M.  E.  Prose  Every  Child  Should  Know.  Doubleday 
Chubb,  P.  E.  Teaching  of  English.  Macmillan 
Clarke,  G.  H.  A Treasury  of  War  Poetry.  Houghton 
Haliburton  & Smith.  Teaching  of  Poetry  in  the  Grades.  Houghton 
Holmes,  O.  W.  Poems.  Houghton 

Huey,  E.  B.  Psychology  and  Pedagogy  of  Reading.  Macmillan 
Klapper,  Paul.  Teachihg  of  English.  Appleton 
Lewis,  C.  L.  American  Speech.  Scott 

Longfellow,  H.  W.  Poems.  Houghton 

Mabie,  H.  W.  Essays  Every  Child  Should  Know.  Doubleday 
Palgrave,  F.  T.  Children’s  Treasury  of  English  Song.  Various  editions 
Strayer  & Norsworthy.  How  to  Teach.  Macmillan 
Tennyson,  Alfred.  Poems.  Houghton 


